We're Not Taking No For An Answer
by avatarfreak14
Summary: When Zuko becomes the new kid at Roku High, the gAang force their way into his life. But when tragedy strikes against Zuko, will they be enough to get him through it, especially when Katara has her own horrors from the past to face. Eventual Zutara. Multiple chapters, in progress, will not be abandoned. AU Modern.
1. Chapter 1

**We're Not Taking No For An Answer**

Chapter 1

"Should we go talk to him?" Aang asked cautiously.  
"Why should we?" Toph countered absent-mindedly "We don't even know him."  
"I think we should," Katara said, glancing at the boy in question, "It's his first day and he's sitting by himself, I bet he feels pretty awkward and uncomfortable."  
"I don't know, Katara," Sokka said warily, "He looks kind of shifty to me. Like he'd dash our brains out if we gave him the chance." Katara glared at him and Toph snorted.  
"I'd like to see him try." She smirked.

The four of them were sitting on a table during lunch. They attended Roku High, which consisted of year seven to eleven. Being twelve, Aang and Toph were both in seventh grade; Katara was in year nine, two years above them. Sokka was Katara's older and therefore the oldest at the table as he was in year 10.

A new kid had arrived in town that day. There he sat by himself on a table in the corner of the cafeteria. His shaggy dark hair hung over his eyes, and his large intimidating form was hunched over as though he was grieving.

At that moment Suki appeared, giving Sokka a quick kiss and settling into the space next to him.  
"What's up?" She asked the rest of them.  
"We're deciding whether or not it's safe to say hi to the new kid." Aang replied, not taking his eyes off of the surly boy.  
"Oh, he's in year eleven." Suki informed them in reply. "He looks scary."  
"I agree," said Sokka loudly, "I say we let someone his own age welcome him." Katara huffed and rose from her seat.  
"Well I'm going to say hi to him." She declared, "I'm sure he'll be perfectly pleasant when I do." As she started walking away she heard Aang wish her good luck and rolled her eyes in amusement.

She stopped and stood patiently in front of the new kid. He looked up at her in surprise and the first thing she noticed was the huge red scar that blemished almost one half of his face. Katara made sure to control her facial expression so that her shock wasn't evident to him. The second thing she noticed about him was the colour of his eyes. With his hair no longer concealing them, she could see that they were a brilliant shade of amber.  
"Um, hi," She started, suddenly nervous, "I'm Katara. What's your name?"

He didn't answer straight away. On the contrary, he just stared at her blankly and she started fidgeting, feeling embarrassed.  
"Zuko." He finally replied. Feeling encouraged by this, Katara tried again.  
"Well Zuko," she continued, "Would you like to sit with us?" She pointed at the table where Aang, Sokka, Suki and Toph were sitting and watched as they waved politely.  
"No, I'm fine here." He replied. It was a perfectly normal reply but the way he said was as though he'd rather cut off his own finger than join them. Katara frowned.  
"I just thought, because you were new-"  
"Look," He interrupted rudely, making Katara's nostrils flare, "just because I'm new, doesn't mean I want a welcoming committee." And with that, Zuko turned his back on her in an obvious gesture of dismissal.

Katara gaped at his lack of manners, struggling for words. All she could manage however, was incoherent stammering. Accepting her defeat, she marched back to her friends, almost growling.  
"How'd that you go?" Aang inquired.  
"Oh come on, Twinkle Toes." Toph laughed, "I could tell she struck out and I'm blind!

"He's so rude!" Katara snarled, "I've never met a more pompous jerk in my life!" Sokka laughed.  
"I tried to warn you." He sniggered, "Listen to Sokka the Master next time."  
"Sokka the Master needs a knuckle sandwich." Katara grumbling, slipping into an ugly mood.  
"Let me try," Aang said brightly. Without waiting for a reply, he jumped lightly from his seat and walked eagerly towards Zuko.

Katara watched as Aang tried his friendly greeting. She watched Zuko's eyes narrow, almost in suspicion, and she witnessed Aang's face fall as Zuko told him to go away. Aang came back and slumped in his seat.  
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." He said dejectedly.  
"I'll say," agreed Katara.  
"What's his name?" Aang asked.  
"Zuko."  
"Of course he won't warm up to either of you." Sokka said with mock exasperation, "You're a girl" He said, pointing to Katara, "and Aang, you act like a woman sometimes." He accused.  
"I do not!" Aang protested as Toph shook with laughter.

"Sure you don't." Sokka smirked, "Anyway, watch and learn."  
"Be careful, Sokka." Suki advised and Sokka winked in return.

With that he walked confidentally over to where Zuko was sitting.  
"I can't wait to see this." Toph admitted to Katara. Katara watched in amusement as Sokka playfully punched Zuko on the arm. At this, the older boy turned to snarl at him. After a few more "manly" attempts, Sokka gave up and retreated.  
"He's mean." He said shortly to the rest of them, his ego wounded.  
"What were you expecting?" Katara laughed, "Sunshine and rainbows, Sokka?"

"All of you are going about this the wrong way." Remarked Toph.  
"Oh yeah?" Sokka challenged, "And how's that?" Toph looked in his direction and a clever smile crossed her face. "You're all taking no for an answer." '

As she walked over to Zuko, he looked up and groaned.  
"Look I don't need any more welcom– Hey!" In the next second, Toph had a tight hold of his arm and was dragging him forcefully over to their table.  
"Sit," She commanded. Zuko attempted to move past her, but Sokka assisted Toph in pinning him down onto the bench.  
"I bet this is illegal." Zuko scowled.  
"Well you didn't want to do it the easy way." Toph replied calmly.  
"Okay, I'm here, what do you want?"  
"We just wanted to welcome you," Katara explained, her voice cold, "It's not our fault you're so impolite."  
"You call that welcoming me?" Zuko said, "Anyway, I didn't ask to be welcomed."

At that moment, a cunning and ferocious boy who was also in year eleven walked past. He caught Zuko's eye and sniggered contemptuously. Katara looked at Zuko. His face darkened and his eyes were ferocious.  
"I'm guessing you're not a big fan of Jet?" She said timidly.  
'You know Jet?" Aang asked, bewildered.  
"He used to go to my old school" Zuko said quietly, finally telling them something about himself, "I hate him."  
"Yeah, everyone does." Sokka agreed. Katara was tempted to ask him what his problem with Jet was, but his black mood warned her from doing so.

The bell rang, and Zuko didn't hesitate to remove himself from the group. He walked swiftly away leaving the rest of them baffled.  
"Well that didn't go as well as we'd planned." Aang said, crestfallen.  
"Give it time, Aang." Toph said wisely.  
"We're trying again?' Aang questioned.  
"Of course are."  
"If we can keep him with us for more than two seconds." Katara added.  
"This'll be good." Sokka inserted. "Hey! Here's an idea: Why don't we just buy him video games?"  
"Shut up, Sokka."

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**We're Not Taking No For An Answer **

Chapter 2

Zuko's arrival had earned him quite a big reaction from the student body. Upon seeing his scar many people openly expressed their horror. He saw their looks, saw them cringe and turn away in obvious disgust. He thought back to the blue eyed girl from yesterday- Katara! That was her name. He'd seen the brief surprise in her eyes when she looked at his face for the first time, but she at least had had the decency to mask her reaction. Some of the guys, like Jet, had given him looks of superiority. Zuko's Uncle had told him to control his temper the day before he began school and Zuko readily told him he would. But the sneering faces didn't make it any easier.

The other reaction he received was from several girls. Some of them giggled as he walked past. Some had been nice enough to wave, but of course, Zuko hadn't been able to make himself wave back. Other girls were clustered in small or big groups and when they saw him, they would instantly start chattering enthusiastically to each other with small smiles on their faces. Zuko didn't know how to react to this, as it made him feeling extremely uncomfortable and out of place.

But by far, the biggest reaction Zuko had received was from four people. Four very annoying people. Katara, Aang, Sokka and the blind girl whose name Zuko did not yet know because she'd wordlessly dragged him to their table. Zuko couldn't at all fathom why they'd bothered to greet him in the first place, let alone be so persistent about it.

When people took one look at him, at his face or even just his defensive form, they left him alone, just the way he liked it. But yesterday, a girl two years younger than him had politely welcomed him and offered him company. More than that, all her friends had done the same and one of them had succeeded, and it made Zuko wonder what was different about these people? These people who willingly and forcefully attempted to accept him.

Then again, Zuko pondered, they were the sort of people who hung out with each other despite the obvious age differences.

Whatever, he'd made his message clear enough: Don't talk to me. And they weren't likely to again.

Zuko headed towards the gymnasium where the his first assembly was to be held. He walked along the rest of the students in the school, who were clustering and roughly shoving each other.

When he arrived, he took himself to the very back of the stands and sat by himself, secluded. It wasn't even a minute later when two people sat on either side of him.  
"What are you doing here?" He snapped.  
"We just wanted to sit with you, Zuko." Aang explained, rationally.  
"Yeah," The boy called Sokka agreed, obviously Katara's brother, "Don't bite our heads off! I say you stop fighting the force and accept that we're not leaving you alone." With that, Sokka threw his arm around him and Zuko groaned, burying his face in his hands.  
"Look," Zuko started, "I'm not the type of guy you want to be friends with, and frankly, I don't want to be yours. So go away."  
"Would it make you feel better if we bought you video games?"  
"No Sokka! We're not bribing him!" Came a new voice. Zuko looked up. There stood Katara, hands on her hips and glaring exasperatedly at Sokka. The blind girl came up behind her. She moved past Zuko to sit next to Sokka.  
"Oh come on! Toph agrees with me, right Toph?"  
"No." The blind girl, Toph, answered.  
"Sshh, assembly's starting." Aang advised as Katara took the seat next to him.

Zuko didn't want to listen to the principal drone on about keeping the school clean or the new subjects that could be taken. Instead, he thought about the inexplicable people beside him. He was becoming more and more frustrated with them. He couldn't understand why they didn't yet tire of his attitude, most people couldn't handle him and that was what he intended, he wasn't at all a people person and he definitely wasn't going to be one.

He noticed the weird looks he was receiving from people and he could understand why. People saw him and probably thought he was a criminal, but the people sitting with him were carefree and harmless, well maybe with the exception of Toph.

He suddenly caught Katara's eye and she smiled at him. Zuko didn't know how to respond. Years of ignoring people and pretending they didn't exist left him completely clueless on how to deal with social situations. He attempted to smile back but was certain it turned out looking more like a grimace.

He thought about Katara. He noticed that she always wore long sleeved shirts, definitely unlike most girls and she also had the habit of tugging almost nervously at her sleeves.

Finally assembly ended in a half hour resulting in the end of school for the day. Zuko jumped from his seat to leave but unfortunately Aang, Katara, Toph and Sokka rounded on him. He increased his step to the car park where his Uncle would be waiting to pick him up. The four kids however didn't relent with Aang shouting: "Hey Zuko! Wait up!" for everyone to hear.

Finally, he rounded angrily on them.  
"Leave me alone!" He snarled, "I'm not interested in being a part of your little group and you're making me like you all less and less the more you try!" At that moment, his Uncle arrived and stepped out of his car. Sokka looked at him and beamed.  
"Hey Iroh! What brings you here?" He asked. Zuko drew his eyebrows in confusion.

"Hello kids," His Uncle replied, "I'm just here to pick up my nephew." He motioned at Zuko.

"You _know_ them?" Zuko asked, bewildered?  
"Zuko's your _nephew_? Aang asked at the same moment.

"These four are regular customers at the 'Jasmine Dragon'" Uncle Iroh explained to Zuko, mentioning his beloved tea shop "And yes, I'm glad to say that Zuko is in fact my nephew."

"This is awesome." Toph said almost mischievously and Zuko's eyes widened.  
"Let's go, Uncle," He said turning to leave. Sokka marched up at him and thumped his shoulder.  
"Okay, see you tomorrow Buddy." Zuko rolled his eyes. He didn't see Toph come up and punch his shoulder much harder than Sokka did.  
"Ow! What was that for?" He snapped.  
"That's how I show affection." She replied with a small smile and followed Sokka. Thankfully, Aang just turned around with a genuine smile on his face and waved goodbye.  
"Bye Zuko," Katara said leaving with Aang.

Zuko shook his head in disbelief as he headed into the back of his Uncle's car. His Uncle slid into the front seat and began driving home.  
"So these are your friends, nephew?" He asked, "I must say I am pleased, they're good children."

"They're not my friends, Uncle," Zuko protested quietly.  
"Could've fooled me," Uncle Iroh joked, "I think this is very good for you."  
"I'm fine."  
"I know with everything that has happened-"  
"Leave it, Uncle!" Zuko demanded, his voice suddenly harsh. There was a moment of silence before Iroh sighed.  
"I Just want what's best for you." Zuko closed his eyes, hearing the genuine emotion in Uncle's voice.

"Being alone is what's best for me." Zuko said, but there was a hidden part of him that knew it wasn't what he wanted.

**That was Chapter 2. Please Review and Comment folks. Feedback is encouraging. Zutara will come soon I promise!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It had been two months since Zuko started at his new school. He'd done his best to avoid the four people who had made it their life mission to befriend him. He stopped going to the cafeteria because Sokka, Aang, Katara and Toph were sure to join him. Sometimes Sokka's girlfriend would also come along but that wasn't for his benefit. He could tell by the way she openly flinched when her eyes fell on his scar.

Instead of the cafeteria he started hanging around the back of the school, which was usually isolated. But he'd been surprised to sometimes find Toph already there, blindly drawing a rough target with chalk on the wall and throwing rocks at it. She'd asked him to record her results. He'd once said:  
"What's the point of doing that? You're blind." It had taken him three seconds to realise the insensitivity of his comment. To his relief however, she'd turned to give him a grin and said:  
"Anyone who can see would get a great score. Where's the fun in that?" Zuko had been mildly surprised by this comment. Many people would not have perceived being blind the way Toph had.

Eventually, Zuko realised he'd sunken into routine with Toph. He really admired her and was comfortable in her presence, an unfamiliar sensation to him. That was when he realised he was getting close to someone, and he didn't like it. He stopped meeting her.

He moved on to the oval, sitting alone at the back on at the warm grass. Unfortunately Sokka and Aang liked to play sport, although though Sokka wasn't very good at it. On a particular day, Sokka kept throwing a football at Zuko's face, trying to aggravate him into playing. Zuko had tried to resist, but eventually he'd lost his temper and threw the ball so hard at the other boy's face, that they'd both fallen back. Aang had burst into a fit of laughter, falling to the ground and unable to control himself. But what shocked Zuko the most was when he himself started laughing, a loud funny sound that hadn't come from him in a long time. Sokka, who'd been lying on the ground, sat up and looked at him, shocked, along with Aang. Zuko, realising what he'd done stopped suddenly, stood up and told them in what he hoped was a menacing growl:

"This doesn't change anything."

Finally Zuko took refuge in the library, none of them would be there, he'd thought. Surely no one did homework in his or her spare time. But Lo and Behold their had sat Katara at a desk, working away in her schoolbooks. Zuko had gaped; he just couldn't get away from these people! He decided he'd better leave before she realised he was there, but before he could do so, she'd glanced up and met his eyes. A small smile had formed at her lips and she'd beckoned him over to sit with her. That had been his cue to leave, as he'd done with Aang, Sokka and Toph. But as he looked at her, with her big blue eyes, warm smile and inviting kindness, he'd found himself unable to disobey her.

They'd worked on homework, nothing that was special or involved them to talk a lot. But Zuko found himself having a reaction that was the complete opposite of when he was with Toph. He felt extremely tense. Not because he was uncomfortable with her, no, sitting with her was actually quite… nice. But Zuko had felt as though any movement he made would embarrass him, make Katara laugh at him. He didn't want to look stupid in front of her. Catching himself on his thoughts, Zuko's eyes had widened. What did it matter what she thought of him? It didn't! It made no difference. And at the moment he'd made his quick departure.

Zuko now walked all around the school at recess and lunch, which was what he was doing presently. He couldn't understand why Sokka, Toph, Aang and Katara would want to be friends with him, especially they saw his nasty personality. He didn't care how nice they were, he didn't want any more friendships after the disastrous one he'd had before.

A sudden image protruded his mind. He saw himself at eight years old with short dark hair, an unblemished face and a mischievous grin to accompany his glinting amber eyes. Next to him, was the boy who'd been his, a bit taller than him at the time, even cheekier than Zuko had been and with a messy mop of light brown hair, Jet had been the perfect partner in crime . For three years they'd been absolutely inseparable. But awful things had happened and the united bond they'd shared had been harshly severed. Zuko closed his eyes. No, he didn't want any more friends, he didn't want anything more to lose.

He walked around the corner of the corridors so deep in his thoughts and memories, he didn't realise he turned to where Jet and his friends were lurking. Jet's sharp gaze and met his own and Zuko registered the hatred that had transcended there. Zuko had done a great job of avoiding Jet for the most part, he knew where him and his mob usually hung out and didn't go anywhere near those places, but he definitely didn't expect them to be here. He wanted to turn and leave at that moment, but his pride prevented him from doing just that and Zuko stood his ground.

An unpleasant, almost sadistic leer crossed Jet's face.  
"We were planning to welcome you, sometime" His words were friendly but his tone wasn't. "I guess now's a good time."  
"I was just leaving." Zuko stated, wanting to avoid a scene at all costs. Jet disagreed.  
"I don't think so." He snarled. "We need to sort out a few things first."

At that moment the four people he did not want to see most, appeared from around the corner.  
"Zuko!" Aang called. "We've been looking for you everywhere!"  
"Yeah," Sokka agreed, "It's like you don't want to found."  
"Please," Katara said sarcastically, "Zuko's not so rude."  
"I beg to differ." Toph smirked.  
'Oh no, no, no, no, no, no.' Zuko thought, panicking.  
"What are you guys doing here?" He demanded through gritted teeth, "Leave. Now!"  
"Don't bite our heads off, Zuko." Katara frowned.  
"Now's not a good time." He warned her, hoping she'd take the hint.  
"Do you need your petty little friends to look after you?" Jet tormented.  
"You've got yours." Toph challenged. Pointing at Jet's larger than average companions.  
"They're not my friends." Zuko snarled, trying to keep them out of the situation.  
"Ouch." Sokka said.  
"That hurt." Aang agreed.  
"Leave!" Zuko commanded them again, almost begging now.  
" I don't care who've you got with you." Jet decided, advancing towards Zuko, "We've got business to take care of."  
"No we don't!" He shoved back Jet hard, as the other boy loomed. This only fuelled Jet's anger.

"You think you're so superior?" He challenged furiously. "You think you can just toss people aside like they're nothing, like what happened to my parents?" Zuko rounded on him.  
"You know that wasn't me!" Zuko snapped.  
"It might as well have been!" Jet bellowed back, "You didn't stand up to him! You didn't tell him he was wrong!" Zuko pointed violently at his large, grotesque scar.

"This is what happens when I stand up to him!" he roared ferociously. At his words, Katara visibly flinched and he realised how it must have sounded to her. He was also aware that him and Jet's yelling had drawn a crowd. Not clustered around them but at each end of the corridor.

"I think the two of you need to-" Aang tried.  
"I bet your mother didn't just leave because of your father." Jet interrupted, changing his tactic. Zuko stiffened at his jibe. Jet knew that he had hit a sore subject. He knew Zuko well enough to know how to hurt him. Zuko didn't immediately rise to the bait. He clenched his fists, trying to control his temper.  
"Don't say something you'll regret, Jet." Zuko threatened.  
"I think she left because she knew you were going to be exactly like him."

This sentence evaporated all of the self-control Zuko had left. Feeling angrier than he could ever remember, he advanced savagely towards Jet and punched him powerfully on the jaw.

The next few seconds were a blur. He could feel Jet punching him, he could hear the shrieks of the people around them and he could feel people pulling at him, trying to disengage him from his rival. But all he could feel was the untamed aggressiveness that had been abruptly unleashed by Jet's words, the desire to cause Jet as much pain as he possibly could. His fists struck at his opponent repeatedly, with none of his force being held back. He was going to make Jet sorry for everything he'd done then and now, he would make him pay.

"STOP!" Someone shrieked. Katara. He heard the panic in her voice, the fear but the authority in it too, and Zuko was momentarily distracted, it gave Aang and Sokka all the time they needed to rip him away from Jet, who was subdued by his own friends at the same moment. As Zuko's vision focused he saw that Jet's nose was gushing a red river and his face was swollen. Zuko felt a smug satisfaction in knowing his adversary would be marked from their fight. Zuko felt the heat and the pounding of his own face and knew he couldn't look much better than Jet, but at least no part of him was bleeding.

He let Sokka and Aang keep their hold on. He glanced at Katara. Her eyes were furious, her teeth were grinding against each other and her hands clutched at her hair. Toph stepped forward between Zuko and Jet. She was a tiny thing, but her stance was certainly intimidating.  
"You've had your fun," She snapped "But you're done here now. Leave." Jet glared at the blind girl for a moment, but of course it had no effect on her. He shook himself free from his friends and walked away in the opposite direction, his companions following him.

Zuko breathed raggedly as Sokka and Aang restrained him. He was still furious, but the adrenalin of the moment had disappeared, leaving him exhausted.

"You all right, Buddy?" Sokka asked him, quietly. Zuko felt almost touched by the concern in his voice but quickly remembered that he didn't need a re-do of his friendship with Jet. Aang was looking up at him with wide innocent eyes and although Katara tried to mask her emotions he could see the fear in her eyes. That was what scared him the most.

Uncle had told him before to try his best to keep his temper under check, and Zuko knew why. He looked liked an animal when he didn't, like a vicious snarling monster that wanted to tear his victim limb from limb. Katara was looking at him like he was one. She wouldn't want anything to do with him now, none of them would. He broke free from Sokka and Aang and escaped from them, all of them. He escaped from the eyes of the crowd, escaped from the school grounds. He didn't stop walking and he absolutely refused to look up again until he reached home.

He escaped from everything that was a danger to him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Zuko lay motionless on his bed. It had been an hour and a half since his fight with Jet and school was over for everyone else by now. His Uncle, Zuko knew, was working in the teashop and while he would normally go help him, Zuko didn't feel like doing much of anything at the moment. He closed his eyes, he'd told, he'd warned, Sokka, Katara, Aang and Toph that he wasn't the sort of person they'd want to have as a friend. But they'd waited until his true nature had been expose to them.

He lay there for another fifteen minutes until he heard the doorbell ring. Reluctantly getting out of the bed and slightly bewildered since him and his Uncle never received visitors, Zuko headed down the stairs and opened the door.

There stood Katara, Aang, Toph and Sokka. They'd brought cake.  
"Surprise!" Aang exclaimed. Zuko raised an eyebrow; he had definitely not been expecting this. He had the insane urge to grin, he couldn't believe that they'd come, that they hadn't been scared and that they'd brought cake.  
"Hey Zuko, are you going to invite us in or are we going have to force our way in?" Toph asked, cutting through Zuko's thoughts.  
"Oh yeah," Zuko said, "Come in." Sokka clapped him on the shoulder as he passed and Katara set down the cake on the kitchen counter top. While Aang stood awkwardly unsure of what to do with himself, Toph made herself perfectly at home, jumping onto one of the chairs and propping her feet up on a table.

"You can sit down, Aang," Zuko offered. They all looked around at him, surprised, and Zuko realised he'd never spoken directly to any of them before, until now. Aang sat on the chair next to Toph, Sokka sat on the arm of it and Katara was cutting the cake into five pieces.  
"Jet's not that bad," Sokka said suddenly, "he's a bit idiotic sometimes but he normally isn't like what he was like today…" Zuko shrugged.  
"We have history." He said simply, "I guess it changes things."  
"The comments about your mum were out of line." Toph added. Zuko sighed, running his hand through his hair.  
"What was that whole fight about anyway?" Sokka asked curiously. Zuko instantly stiffened.  
"I don't want to talk about it!" Zuko snapped. Sokka raised his hands in surrender.  
"Hey, I was just asking, you don't have to tell me anything Buddy Boy."

There was an awkward silence before Katara approached Zuko, placing her hand on his arm. Heat shot up from where she touched him and Zuko's stomach flipped.  
"You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to, Zuko," She began, "But if you ever do, you can talk to anyone of us, we won't judge you." Her words were so wonderful, not just her words but also her voice, how sincere and genuine it was. He met her deep honest gaze, and felt the demanding urge to wrap his arms around her, to hold her to him. Looking into her eyes, he felt himself unravelling and before he knew what was happening he was telling her and the rest of them his past. The past he'd never told anyone.

"It all started when I was seven. That was when mum left. I remember she woke me up before she did and told me to never forget who I was. I didn't understand what she meant at the time, I still don't. I went back to sleep and when I woke up, she was gone, I never knew where she went, or why she left. Dad was abusive… and it was horrible, but she always said she would never leave me when they argued. But she did." Zuko said it all, almost emotionlessly. His mum's departure had always made him upset when he thought about it but talking about it now, he felt hollow, like he had no sorrow left.

Katara, Aang and Sokka were all looking at him with wide eyes. Toph's expression was one of sympathy but definitely not pity, which Zuko appreciated.

"I met Jet a year later when I was eight." Zuko continued. "We hit it off, instantly, we did everything together." A grin crossed Zuko's face. "I remember our neighbours used to hate us because we played so many pranks on them. Jet's parents worked for my father at his business and we went to the same school and lived in the same neighbourhood, so we saw a lot of each other. My sister, Azula, was always with our father, she was a prodigy, exactly what he wanted. But I was always outside with Jet, and those were the best days of my life.

"My father didn't like Jet. He told me he was a waste of my time, and said that that time could be used for more productive things, like Azula did with her time. I never listened to him though, me and Jet met up every day since we'd met, being a "public nuisance". Dad became angrier the longer our friendship went on and eventually he decided to take matters into his own hands."

Zuko looked up at his four companions, they were silent and hung on to his every word. Aang's young face even looked slightly fearful.

"My dad fired Jet's parents from his business when I was eleven, then he gave them a bad reputation, he made sure that every other large industry he was in contact with knew that they were "horrible employees" so that no one would hire them. It ruined them. Jet's family became broke and I'm sure to this day that they're still having immense financial difficulties since they can't get decent jobs to pay for anything.

"Jet hated me after that. We had a fight, he told me that I was weak and spineless against my father and he told me that I should've seen it coming and warned him. I was very upset but I didn't hate Jet the way he hated me, I could understand his anger. I decided that I would try to convince my father to give Jet's parents their jobs back. That night when I asked him to, Azula was cooking on the stove, my dad and I were behind her, arguing. I said that if gave Jet's parents their jobs back, I would never talk to Jet again. My Dad said he'd already accomplished that by doing what he did, and if he undid his actions, Jet wouldn't hate me and there would still be a friendship there.

"I'd lost my temper at that point.  
"Why do you always have to drive away everyone I love?" I'd yelled and he'd said:  
"Love is a distraction Zuko, love is for the weak!" And I'd yelled:  
"First you made Mum leave! Now you did the same with Jet! You're a monster!" Unfortunately, I inherited my father's temper, but mine didn't rival his at all. My mother was a sore subject with my father, I don't think he loved her, but he became furious even when Azula and I even implied anything about her. Azula was smarter than me though, she never spoke directly about Mum like I did that day. I didn't stop there though, I should've, but I didn't. I kept yelling about mum, saying that he hurt her to the point of leaving me behind, that he was an awful man with no conscience and that one day I'd make sure that every awful thing he did would come back to bite him. That was when my father snatched the pan that Azula was using on the stove. He'd grabbed my head and shoved the underside of the pan against my eye. Hence the scar."

Before Zuko could register Aang, Sokka and Katara's looks of horror, he rushed on:  
"My father hadn't taken me to hospital. I just had to grab an ice pack and sit up in my room screaming and crying. Azula had tried to come in once, to comfort me maybe, but father had yelled at her and she didn't want to feel his wrath. Dad forbade me to attend school because he didn't want any questions regarding my 'injury'. The burn started scarring after a few months and I was allowed to go back to school, but I wasn't thrilled. I hated seeing people's revulsion when they saw my face, seeing their terror. I remember when Jet spotted me, I saw in his eyes that he knew that my father had had something to do with my burn scar. I'd thought he'd realise that I'd stood up for him and that he'd welcome me back. I was wrong. His parents were still broke, and to him, I was still the enemy, no matter what I'd done.

"It was Jet's brilliant idea to get people to torment me for my scar. At first people were reluctant, but the more people who did it, the less cruel it appeared to them. I'd been isolated, and shunned by everyone I thought was my friend. When I was fourteen, Jet moved away. His parents could no longer land a job where we lived and I was glad to see them all go, I thought the suffering would end, but it didn't. Jet had left, but his idea hadn't. He'd left a foundation, a legacy. I was terrorized for another two years, until my Uncle visited on his own accord. He saw my condition, saw how people treated me and took me back with him. That's why I moved here."

Zuko had finally finished. He felt drained but he felt emotional. He'd never told anyone about what had happened, not even his Uncle, and he wasn't sure how he felt about suddenly telling four people. Silence followed, Sokka and Aang looked absolutely horrified.  
"How could- your father- how could he-?"Stumbled Sokka. Aang was shaking his head in disbelief. Toph looked furious.  
"Well it's a good thing you moved," she said angrily, "your dad is crazy! He's a lunatic!"  
"Yeah well…" Zuko trailed off, unsure of what to say.

There was another silence, before:  
"Zuko," Katara started, "You need to tell the police." Zuko's head snapped up and he looked at her in disbelief.  
"What? No!" He protested.  
"He burned you Zuko!" Katara reminded if in reply, "He can't do that to you! What he did was illegal!"  
"I know that, but I'm not telling the police." Zuko insisted.  
"Why wouldn't you?" Aang asked curiously.  
"It doesn't matter, I just don't want to."  
"What if he does something to your sister?" Katara asked.  
"He won't" Zuko said, and he was sure o f it.  
"Please Zuko," Katara urged, "tell the police."

He rounded on her.

"No, Katara! I'm not telling them! You don't understand. You don't understand what it's like it experiencing something so horrible that you can't bring yourself to let someone help." He said. Katara went quiet, then nodded.  
"I understand," She said, "I really do." Hearing her saying this, Zuko became angry. She had no idea what it was like, and hopefully she never would.  
"No, you don't," he snapped, "You might think you do, but you don't. Everything about your life is perfectly fine."  
"Zuko, stop there." Sokka suddenly warned. Katara's face screwed up in anger.  
"You don't know anything about my life, Zuko!" She objected.  
"What?" He taunted back, "Are your parents divorced or something? That's not the same. You don't get it."

"No Zuko, _you_ don't get it!" She accused, just angry as him now. Zuko wanted to shut up, he saw the look in her eye, the one of genuine, deep hurt and even scarier, the haunted look he himself got when he thought about his mother. But his mouth didn't stay shut.

"Alright then. Katara," He challenged, "Tell me. Tell me how you would understand."

Katara stood up, she looked almost fearful but her anger was still strongly there. Zuko glanced at Sokka, the boy had his eyes fixed on his sister, he seemed surprised and looked even more surprised when Katara opened her mouth and shakily told her own story.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'd firstly like to thank a few people before the next chapter begins. I only have six reviews but every single one strongly motivates me to continue writing. So thanks a lot GraySparkles, SapphireWaters, Ryo-chan wolfgirl, katie-siobhan and Quirkista!**

Chapter 5

"Mum died when I was five." Katara started, her voice was soft, quiet and she was looking down at the floor, unable to look anyone in the eye.

What she was about to tell four people- yes four, even Sokka- was something that she'd kept locked away for nine long years. She'd never wanted to tell anyone because of how traumatic the experience had been and because of the threat that had been made. She'd wanted to, oh how she wanted to lift the weight off of her shoulders. She'd considered telling Sokka quite a few times, but whenever she's thought about it, her throat constricted and the fear and terror all came back like she was five again. Sokka knew that their mother had been murdered, he'd seen her body, but he hadn't been there, hadn't known who killed her or what had happened…

But now she was angry, no, she was furious. Her and her friends had been there for Zuko since he'd arrived at Roku High. He may have not wanted their company, but at least they'd been there. Then after hearing his story, she'd wanted to help by suggesting that Zuko contact the police, Zuko's father should be arrested! But instead of discussing the suggestion rationally, he'd just assumed that "she wouldn't understand", ridiculed her and mocked her. He didn't even know her long enough to know if she would understand or not, and it made her so mad, so damn mad, that her anger overwhelmed her fear. She was finally going to be free of the burden she'd carried.

"Sokka and Dad were out on a fishing trip" She continued, eyes still downcast. She felt Sokka's eyes boring into her, he knew which story she was going to tell, he knew he would finally know the truth today. "They usually went away most weekends. Mum and I stayed home, we watched as Dad and Sokka left from the front yard. We had a neighbour called Mr Stein who lived a bit way down the street, he was watching when Mum and I were saying goodbye.

"Mr Stein had lived in his for twenty years. He was about forty years old and he scared me. He had this constant face where he looked as though he hated everything around him. I didn't know much about him, except that he was a very secretive man who lived by himself.

"Mum and I were making brownies when Dad and Sokka left, we finished them an hour after Dad and Sokka had left, and then we watched TV for another two. By this time, Sokka and Dad would return. While we were watching, I looked at the window, and I saw Mr Stein walking towards our house, wearing gloves and carrying a huge long knife in his hand.

"I remember being really scared. I ran to Mum and told her that our neighbour was coming to kill us. She didn't believe me at first, but I urged her to look out the window as I had done. She reluctantly did as I'd asked and sure enough there was Mr Stein still carrying his weapon and coming towards our front yard. He knocked on the door and Mum said to me:  
"Go upstairs in your closet and don't come out until I come and get you." I ran into my room and hid, just as mum had told me to. I don't know if Mum had told Mr Stein to go away or if she'd pretended she wasn't there. Either way I heard a bang. He'd broken the door down."

By this point, Katara's voice had started breaking, but she tried to control herself. She was halfway through the story and she'd kept Sokka in the dark long enough. She didn't dare look at Zuko or the others, if she did, she'd burst into tears and she knew she wouldn't be able to finish.

"I heard Mum scream, I heard Mr Stein yelling awful things at her, and I was terrified. I was shaking, curled up in the closet. That was when I heard this bloodcurdling scream." Katara finally looked at Sokka. He looked horrified at what he was hearing, he knew what was coming. "It was horrible, Sokka!" Katara screeched, "The way it sounded, it was like someone was getting every single bone in their body broken! But then I remembered the knife Mr Stein had. It had been Mum screaming, screaming because she was being stabbed. Over and over again."

This time Katara couldn't stop the tears running down her face. She'd started telling this story to prove Zuko wrong, to show him that her life wasn't perfect either, but all her anger had seeped away, leaving only sorrow and despair.

"Mr Stein didn't end Mum's life quickly, I heard her trying to get away from him, but he kept stabbing her and she kept screaming. I kept telling myself to do something when I was in the closet, trying to will myself to move, but I couldn't bring myself to! I thought I was going to die of fear and I was biting my arm so hard to keep myself from screaming."

Katara rolled up her sleeve, to reveal the scars of a bite mark, her own, still clearly visible. She always wore long sleeved shirt to hide her arms, to hide her bite scar and her other one. Aang choked at the sight he was seeing and Zuko looked away. Sokka had seen it before, though she'd never explained it and Toph, sensing Aang's choke and the silence had predicted what Katara had exposed.

"Then I heard them talking about me.  
"Where is she?!" Mr Stein was yelling, and my heart almost stopped, I thought I was going to die that day too. But Mum didn't give me away, she never would've.  
"She's not here! She went with her father." But Mr Stein knew I was in the house. He'd seen me say goodbye to Sokka and Dad in the front yard. Footsteps came up the stairs: Mr Stein, coming to kill me. But then I heard him scream and fall. Mum had attacked him. I heard them fighting against each other, Mum begging him to spare me, then she stopped yelling completely. He'd finished her."

Katara was sobbing uncontrollably now, and her words came in deep, heaving breaths.

"I heard him dial a number from his own phone, not ours. I didn't understand at the time what he was doing, later I realised he was calling the police, reporting a '"break in" to make himself look innocent. This time when Mr Stein came up the stairs, there was no one to stop him. I heard him step into the room and a sob had escaped me, giving me away. He pulled me out of the closet and swiped at me with his bloody knife, but I ran past him, down the stairs where I saw mum's lifeless body. There were stab wounds all over her, her throat was slit and there was so much blood on the floor that I slipped on it. I remember screaming, so engrossed in my distress, that I didn't notice that Mr Stein had followed me. He grabbed me and cut a large gash all the way up the inside of my arm, intending to kill me slowly the way he'd done to my mother."

Katara pulled back her other sleeve all the way to her shoulder to show them the thick, jagged scar that started there, all the way down until it stopped at her wrist. Her shoulders shook with sobs and more than anything she just wanted to collapse onto the floor and cry her soul out. But she was almost there. Almost done.

"At that moment, I heard our car pull up in the driveway, so did Mr Stein. He turned to me and said:  
"If you ever tell anyone what I did, make no mistake, I will kill the rest of your family." Then he left, leaving me with my open arm and Mum's dead body.

"When the police came, they asked me what happened, if I'd seen who'd come in. I told them nothing. I kept hearing Mr Stein's threat in my head. I truly believed he would kill Dad, Sokka and I if I told them the truth. The police gave up on me and questioned Mr Stein instead, since he'd reported the call. Dad told Sokka and I that Mr Stein had seen a man in black break into our house. I'd been too scared to tell him what really happened.

"I got nightmares a lot after that. I kept hearing Mum's tortured screaming and Mr Stein's merciless face. Sometimes in the morning, before Dad took me to school, I would see him standing outside his house watching me. When I was seven, I begged Dad to move us. I told him I hated living in the house where Mum died and I told him that I hated living in the country where she died too. I never told him about Mr Stein. I was afraid Dad would go confront him and would be muredered too. Dad said it was difficult for us to move, that all our affairs hadn't been dealt with yet, but I didn't care, I kept begging him. We finally moved here when I eight.

"I always thought that when I became older, the guilt I felt about not telling you and Dad would go away." Katara said, talking directly to Sokka now. "But I was wrong, I never stopped feeling guilty. You'd both had every right to know what happened and I kept that from you. I'm sorry, please forgive me Sokka."

Katara sighed. Finally, finally she was done.

She sank to the floor, wrapped her arms around her kneed and cried. She cried for the fresh memories that haunted her, she cried for the loss of her mother and how she would never ever, in her life, forget her screams. But she also cried in relief. Telling Aang, Zuko, Toph and especially Sokka had lifted the weight of her shoulders. She felt as though someone had been choking her for the past nine years and now she could finally breathe. But most of all, she cried because her mother's death had been all her fault. She'd stayed in the closet and done nothing until it was too late, and because of her own fears, her father had never known who killed his wife. It was all her fault.

She suddenly felt arms around her. Sokka. She looked up at him, and was surprised to see that he was crying as well. His eyes held such strong emotion and his face screwed up in sorrow as tears ran down his face. Katara found herself unable to hold his gaze.  
"I'm sorry," she wept, "I'm so, so sorry." He shook his head and tightened his hold on her.  
"It's not your fault, Katara." He said firmly, his voice breaking with feeling. "You were five years old! There was nothing you could do." Katara wrapped her own arms around him and such powerful relief washed over her, knowing that Sokka didn't blame her. She let herself break down right then and there, crying for all the pain she'd tried to contain for almost a decade.

She felt Aang and Toph join her and Sokka on the floor to wrap their arms around her. She clung to them desperately, wanting more than anything to feel comforted. She felt a large, cautious hand settle on her shoulder and looked up to see Zuko. His eyes held guilt and sadness on her behalf.  
"I'm sorry," He said, "I shouldn't have provoked you, shouldn't have made you tell us that…" Katara shook her head at his apology, taking his hand from her shoulder and holding it.  
"Don't be sorry," She replied, her voice thick, "I'm glad you did, otherwise I probably wouldn't have said anything for another nine years."

There was a moment of silence. Katara, Sokka, Toph and Aang still sat huddled on the floor. Soon, Zuko clumsily knelt beside them, still holding Katara's hand as he made an awkward but comforting attempt to stroke her hair. Katara's stomach fluttered and she smiled, giving his hand a squeeze.  
"I need to tell Dad." She said quietly.  
"We'll tell him as soon as we get home." Sokka promised.  
"You'll help me, right?" She asked, almost desperately. Sokka smiled.

"You need me." He said simply. "And I will never turn my back on you."

**So that was Chapter 5. I really hoped you all enjoyed it and please review your opinion. The next chapter will have more Zutara.** **Until next chapter mates. (:**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Zuko and Jet had been suspended for a week. Zuko for starting the physical fight and Jet for inappropriately provoking him. Aang and Toph came to visit him everyday, and sometimes Sokka and Katara as well, but usually they were to busy sorting out the entire situation of their mother's murder with their father.

"You know what, Zuko?" Toph had said suddenly one afternoon when her and Aang came to visit, "I like you. You may be the crankiest guy on the planet, but your heart's in the right place." Zuko looked at her, startled. It amazed him, that after all is temper tantrums and sometimes, irrational behaviour, Toph liked him and thought he was a good person. A wave of gratitude and affection for her washed over him.  
"Thanks." He said quietly, revealing a small smile.  
"And your Uncle makes great tea," Aang added heartily, "Maybe you inherited his gift!"  
"Don't count on it, Aang." Zuko advised and Aang laughed.

"Can I ask you a question, Zuko?" The younger boy asked.  
"Sure."  
"What do you tell people when they ask about your scar?" He asked curiously. Zuko met his gaze.  
"Most people are smart enough not to ask." He explained, "But when they do, I tell them that I was in a house fire." Toph laughed.  
"I bet your Dad loved that." She commented.  
"If I told anyone the truth my father would be rotting in a cell."  
"Is that a bad thing?" Toph questioned.  
"Yeah Zuko," Aang agreed. "Your father is kind of a jerk. I think jail would do him some good."  
"I know." Zuko snapped, then sighed. "It's just… Azula."  
"Your sister?" Toph remembered.  
"Yeah."  
"What about her?"  
"She's better off with our father." Zuko explained. "They get each other. I think she needs him."  
"So you like your sister?" Aang inquired.  
"I love her." Zuko admitted, the words sounding strange from his lips. "Everything that happened wasn't her fault. She was just a kid and when it all happened, and the only person she can depend on is our father."  
There was a moment of silence.

"You know what I think?" Toph said. "I think that the only reason your sister needs your dad is because he's all she's ever known." Zuko closed his eyes at the truth of the statement. Mum had left when Azula was only five, the same age Katara had been when her mother died, and so she'd depended on the only parent she had left. How could he take that away from her?

"If you don't do anything," Toph started again, almost as if she'd read his thoughts, "Azula is going to be exactly like your father."

**X X X**

Zuko found himself surprisingly excited to get back to school. While he did receive many accusing or even fearful looks, he was looking forward to accepting the friendship of the four people who had succeeded in making him a part of their lives. At one point Zuko passed Jet, refusing to meet his eyes at all costs.

When it was recess, Zuko went to sit with them, much to their surprise.  
"And we thought we had to drag you over here." Sokka commented, grinning.  
"Didn't I say it was only a matter of time?" Toph bragged.  
"Shut up." Zuko said, but he was smiling. Aang beamed at him.  
"How did things go with your father?" Zuko asked. Katara began to speak but Sokka cut across her.  
"It was great!" He announced. "Well obviously the story wasn't great but when Katara and I told him, he told Katara that nothing was her fault, that he understood why she kept quiet and that he was going to issue an investigation." Katara nodded in agreement.  
"It was good." She said. "And I have you to thank for that, Zuko. If you hadn't made me mad, I never would've said anything." Zuko chuckled.

He noticed that Katara was much happier since she'd told her brother and her father the truth. She was very giddy, enthusiastic and even kinder than usual. Zuko's only regret was that she still wore long sleeved clothes to hide her scars. He felt angry that she was ashamed and embarrassed of herself because Zuko knew Katara was beautiful and brave, and should display her scars with pride. He decided he would talk to her about it later.

"Has anyone noticed that a lot of girls are checking Zuko out." Sokka said suddenly. Zuko choked, and so did, to Zuko's surprise, Katara. He wasn't sure of that was a good thing or a bad thing.  
_"What?!"_ Zuko managed in reply to Sokka's observation.  
"I've noticed that too!" Toph proclaimed. Zuko swung around to face her.  
"How would you know? You're _blind_!" He exclaimed. Toph punched his arm.  
"Just because I can't see, doesn't mean I can't hear, Zuko." She pointed out. At this, Zuko blushed, he did not want to imagine what girls were saying about him.

"Why the sudden interest in Zuko?" Katara asked, and it may have been wishful thinking but Zuko could've sworn there was a hint of jealousy in her voice.  
"Everyone loves a fighter." Suki commented, who appeared by Sokka's side. Sokka turned to her while Zuko looked confused.  
"I'm a fighter!" He complained. Katara laughed.  
"A fighter of what?" She challenged.  
"A lot of things!" Sokka protested. "Do you mind, I'm trying to have a conversation here."  
"My apologies, "fighter of a lot of things." Katara droned sarcastically.

"All we're saying Zuko, is you'd better watch your back." Toph warned.  
"I think Zuko can take care of himself." Katara said.  
"I don't know.." Aang considered. "Girls can be pretty scary."  
"What would you know about girls, Aang?" Toph smirked and Aang grinned sheepishly. Sokka groaned.  
"When did it become a custom to shower Zuko with compliments and insult the rest of us?" Sokka questioned, motioning to Aang and himself. "Need I remind you, I have a girlfriend."  
"Don't push it Sokka." Suki threatened.

"So girls like Zuko now because he got into a fight?" Aang asked, completely bewildered.  
"It doesn't matter." Zuko said gruffly. "I'm not interested."

He turned in time to see Katara smile.

**X X X**

Sokka's observation about Zuko receiving attention from girls turned out to be true. Everywhere he went, there were girls waving at him, talking about him in their packs and some of them even had the nerve to approach him.

One of them was named Jin. Pale, with long brown hair and energetic green eyes, Zuko thought she was pretty, but that certainly didn't mean he wanted to go out with her. Unfortunately, Jin wasn't one to be embarrassed. She approached Zuko on several occasions and had asked him out at one point. Luckily, the bell had ringed at that precise moment, causing the corridors to fill up with teenagers and Jin was swept away with the crowd. Zuko walked the other way whenever he saw her coming towards him from then on.

Another girl that approached him was Song. Her hair was sleek and dark, and her eyes were a soft beautiful brown. She reminded Zuko strongly of a doe. Though she hadn't asked him out like Jin had, she tried to strike up a conversation with him many times. Zuko thought she was very nice but again, Zuko wasn't interested.

The last girl most eager to be involved with Zuko scared him. Her name was Mai. With shiny black hair and sharp silver eyes, she reminded Zuko of a ninja. She didn't exactly talk to him as the other two had done, but rather was everywhere he was, silently watching him as if she was waiting for him to make the first move. All Zuko could do was pretend that he didn't see her.

Seeing the three girls keen on him made him cranky, because Zuko only wished for Katara to show him any sort of romantic attention. Zuko had come to the realisation that he held feelings for her; he hoped she felt the same, but if she did, she certainly didn't show it. Zuko sighed; of course she didn't like him, she probably saw him as a brute.

Thinking of Katara, he needed to find her. He had a surprise for her. Turning the corner, he ran right into her. She let out a shriek of surprise and fell back. Zuko caught her wrists and laughed as she regained her balance.  
"Real smooth, Zuko." She said sarcastically.  
"At least I didn't scream." He teased. "I need to give you something."  
"What is it?" She asked curiously as he pulled her to his locker.  
"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise."

Zuko nervously pulled out his present. His heart was racing and he dearly hoped she liked what he'd bought her. He retrieved a plastic bag and he could see Katara's eyes were mingled with excitement, suspicion and curiosity. He handed her the bag and she tried her best not to look so eager as she reached in to see what it contained.

She pulled out a red dress. Zuko's was pleased at himself as he saw it again. It had short sleeves and was floor length but was still casual enough to wear to school. The material was simple but soft and was a beautiful shade of red. Zuko noticed Katara wore a lot of blue, but he had a feeling red would suit her well.

"Zuko, you shouldn't have." She said, her voice making him smile. "It's beautiful."  
"I had to," he said, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden, "It was perfect for you." At that moment Katara noticed the dress' sleeve length.  
"It's short sleeved." She said quietly. Zuko nodded.  
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." He started, "Katara, you shouldn't have to hide your scars in shame. They're a part of you who you are; they're the marks that show people what you've been through and that you lived through it. You should be proud of them. Believe me, if anyone knows how you feel, it's me." He unconsciously touched his own scar. Katara took his hand.  
"Your scar doesn't define you, Zuko," She comforted genuinely.  
"The same rule applies to you, Katara." He retorted. "Just please, promise me you'll consider wearing it."

Katara gazed down at the dress. He could see in her eyes that she loved it, which made him feel elated, and that she wanted to wear it. Her fingers brushed against the soft fabric of the dress and when she met his eyes, he knew he'd convinced her.  
"Okay," She said quietly, "I will. Thank you so much for the dress, I love it." She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. The line of her body met his and he wrapped his own arms tightly around her waist as his heart beat a mile a minute. The longing he felt for her surprised him, for he'd never felt this way about anyone, and the strong emotions he suddenly felt for Katara were new to him. She was beautiful, but so were many other girls. No, he felt this way about Katara because of her strength and her kindness. She may have blamed herself for her mother's murder but Zuko had no idea how she had the bravery to protect her family from Mr Stein, by keeping to herself the biggest burden of all since she was five years old. Then her kindness, it seemed to Zuko, that Katara always put everyone else needs and feelings before her own and in doing so, she'd matured to an adult beyond her years.

They stood there for a moment, locked in their embrace, until Katara slowly pulled away and they were face to face. Zuko gazed into her eyes, feeling more nervous then he ever had in his life, but Katara looked just the same and neither of them pulled away. Zuko leaned in closer, and Katara closed her eyes, much to his relief. As his own eyes drifted shut, his heart pounding erratically, Zuko lifted a hand to cup Katara's face and finally… his phone rang.

At the sound of it, the two of them jumped apart and Zuko could see that Katara was blushing furiously. He cleared his throat and turned around to hide his own embarrassment, feeling incredibly stupid and incompetent. Couldn't one thing in his life go right?

He grumpily reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. Without so much a glancing at the screen, Zuko answered the call.  
"Hello?" He growled.  
"Hello Zuko."

Zuko almost dropped his phone.

It was his father.

**So that's chapter six! Just a quick quote, the last two sentences of this chapter made me think of: "My Dad ain't a phone! Duh!"  
Please review.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Dad?" Zuko asked, shocked. Katara's eyes widened at his words.  
"Yes, it's me." Ozai answered impatiently.  
"What- Why-" Zuko stumbled, "Why'd you call?" A scoff from the other end of the line.  
"Merely to keep you updated, Zuko." His father drawled, making Zuko's teeth clench. "As your father, that is my duty."  
"What am I unaware of?" Zuko snarled, almost ferociously. He heard the familiar tone of his father's voice, the tone that meant to torture and devastate.

"Perhaps I shouldn't tell you," Ozai pondered mockingly, "I'm not certain you could stomach the information, you always were a weak child."  
"Stop playing games!" Zuko commanded, almost at his boiling point, he was getting worried. His breaths came out in ragged gasps and he clenched his fist nervously. But nothing prepared him for his father's next words.  
"Your mother is dead."

For a moment, Zuko said absolutely nothing; it took long enough for his mind to actually comprehend what his father his had said. Katara placed a hand on his arm and looked at him with a questioning gaze, he attempted a reassuring smile then turned his attention back to the call he was on.  
"That's not true." Zuko finally replied. "What are you playing at?" Ozai chuckled.  
"I knew you wouldn't believe me." He said casually, as if he Zuko believed that it was twenty degrees outside when Ozai had told him it was in fact twenty-five. "No matter." Ozai continued. "Simply go into the nearest convenience store and look at the front page of any newspaper. You'll find that I was telling the tru-" Zuko hung up on him and started to running to find a convenience store.

"Zuko?" Katara called. "Zuko!"  
Zuko kept running. Nothing mattered; nothing mattered more at that moment than finding a newspaper. His mother wasn't dead, she couldn't be, his father was just trying to scare him, playing mind games with him. His mother couldn't possibly be dead…

Soon he was out of school, still running until finally, he was standing right in front of a little corner shop. As he went to open the door, he noticed Katara's reflection it. She'd followed him. She didn't say anything, just simply looked back at him solemnly. They entered the shop and Zuko leapt anxiously at the closest newspaper. Without thinking he exited the store and heard the shopkeeper begin to protest until Katara offered to pay and he heard them argue about whether she should pay or not.

Once Zuko was outside, he took a look at the front page. It read:  
**  
16 DEAD IN BUS CRASH**

_Continued on page 5 _

Zuko's hands shook violently as he turned the pages. Finally, he read the story:

_Sixteen people died yesterday in a crash of a public bus, when the driver was allegedly drunk.  
_

_Yesterday at 8:21 pm, in Second Valley, Adelaide, twenty-eight passengers were on a bus that crashed due to a drunk driver. The bus driver, Arnold Cooks, became noticeably drunk when he began slurring his words at passengers. He was urged to pull over by several of them, who feared for their safety due to Cooks driving under the influence of alcohol _

_The crash was catalysed when one of the passengers approached Cooks to disengage him from the wheel and stop the vehicle. This caused Cooks to violently yank the wheel, causing the bus to hurtle abruptly into other cars and roll over multiple times._

Upon investigation, police were able to confirm that sixteen people, including Cooks, died in the wreckage, leaving the remaining eight passengers severely injured. 

_Chief of police, Christopher Jenkins-_

Zuko stopped reading, scowling. This was just another news story, nothing to do with his mother, it was a horrible accident, but he couldn't stop his relief. There was nothing specifically about his mother in here, as Ozai had implied. She was safe. He was about to squash the newspaper and throw it into the rubbish bin until he saw a list at the end of the bus crash story:

_May the following rest in peace:_

James McCormick  
Esther Lombardi  
Brian Collins  
Sin Yu Ten

_Raaj Dakshesh  
Aadita Dakshesh _

_Elizabeth Montgomery  
Ursa Murakami _

Zuko stopped reading.

_Ursa Murakami.  
_  
_Ursa Murakami. _

Ursa.

URSA.

His mother.

His mother was dead.

No. No it couldn't be, no, no, no, no it was a mistake. Yes, Murakami was her last name and yes she lived in Second Valley, Adelaide. But surely there were other Ursa's? It couldn't be his mother. But no, beside each name, was their picture, and smiling serenely back at him, next to her name was his mother's face.

The newspaper dropped from his hands as Zuko staggered numbly to his knees. Dead, she was _dead_. At that moment, he heard the shop door open.

"Zuko?" Katara said, his back was to her, and Zuko clamped his eyes shut. He didn't want to talk to her. She came around to face him, looking down at him as he buried his face in his hands on the floor.  
"Zuko, what's wrong! What did your father tell you?" She persisted. Zuko remained silent, everything was numb and nothing existed except for the fact that his mother was _gone._ Finally, Katara appeared to have spotted the newspaper lying abandoned beside him. She picked it up, reading the news story but Zuko knew she wouldn't understand, she didn't know his mother's name.

"Zuko what is it?" Katara asked urgently, after she finished reading. "Do you know any of these people?"  
"Ursa." Zuko croaked out, his voice breaking with emotion. Katara took another look at the story, reading the list of names and the pictures beside them. Zuko watched as her eyes landed on Ursa's picture. Katara's eyes widened.  
"No! Is she… is she your...?" She struggled.  
"She's my mother," Zuko said, his voice dead. "And she's dead." There was a silence between them, and nothing could describe the powerful tension in the air, filled with ninety-nine different emotions.

"Zuko," she started, her own voice breaking, "I'm so sorr-"  
"I don't want to hear it." Zuko suddenly snapped at her, jumping to his feet to tower over her.  
"I know what you're feeling," she persevered, "I know you feel like you need time alone-"

"That's exactly what I need!" He yelled "So give it to me! I don't want to hear this! Your words of 'comfort' aren't going to make me feel better. My mother is _dead_. She's _dead_, Katara! And nothing you say is going to change that."

And to his horror, he started crying. He crumpled to the ground, covered his face and burst into loud, noisy tears right then and there in front of a convenience store and in front of Katara.

His heart ached with despair and he felt like he would never be happy again. But Zuko realised that he wasn't ever really happy, his father had shunned him, his best friend had turned against him, his mum had left, and when things had finally started getting better his mother had to die. He didn't feel like he would never be happy again, no. He felt like this pain would never _stop._

He suddenly felt arms around him. Katara. She determinedly held him to her, but it didn't matter because nothing could change this, nothing could bring back his mother. He tried to push her off, to make her realise that she wasn't helping, but she refused to let go and before he knew it, he was confiding in her, as his voice broke with sobs and tears ran down his face.

"I never even had the chance to say goodbye, not even the chance to see her. I always thought I had more time, that one day I would find her and make everything okay, but now she's dead!" He babbled as he leaned into her, giving into her. "And my father, he doesn't even care, you should've heard him over the phone! He sounded almost excited, he _wanted_ to hurt me.

"What's the point, Katara? What's the point anymore? Everything is getting worse; nothing is getting better for me. I wouldn't be surprised if Uncle decided he had enough of me or if you and everyone else decided you didn't want to know me anymore. I don't want to deal with it anymore, I don't want to know anyone so I can't be hurt by them."

Katara tightened her arms around him as he continued to sob. She paced a hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her and Zuko was surprised to see that she was crying as well.  
"Stop." She said fiercely, her voice thick with sorrow. "You can't think that way Zuko. No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, you _can't_ think that way! When these things happen, the worst thing you can do is shut out everyone who cares for you, isolate yourself. The people who care about you, they're the ones who can help you heal, and you need to let them. I learnt that the hard way.

"I know you feel hopeless and miserable right now, I know you'll miss your mother and feel her absence from the world everyday, I know that you feel alone and you feel safer when you are, but you have to listen to me. I care about you! Sokka cares about you, Toph cares about you, Aang cares about you and your Uncle cares about you! And no matter what happens, we're always going to be there to help you.

"I know we can't bring your mother back or make it less painful right now, but we can help you through it and that is what every single one of us will do. But you have to promise me that you'll let us, that you won't shut us out."

Zuko looked up at her face. Her eyes were swirling with emotion and her features were screwed up in passionate determination. Thinking about her, about Sokka, Toph, Aang and his Uncle, he realised he didn't want to shut them out. He knew it was the safer option, maybe even the easier one, he wouldn't have to deal with anyone ever again, never have to get hurt. But imagining a world without the people he loved made his heart thump in panic. He would live in a bleak world of emptiness and nothingness.

"Promise?" Katara inquired. Zuko held her eyes for another moment, before slumping in her arms, needing her warmth, her attention and her support. He continued to cry, but silently now, knowing that at this time, if she left him alone, he wouldn't be able to cope or deal with the loss of his mother.  
"I promise." He said quietly, truly meaning his worlds. Katara kissed his forehead tenderly in return.

So there sat Zuko and Katara. Him with his eyes closed now, resting against her and her holding him, both physically and mentally.

There sat both of them, mourning in front of a convenience store.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Katara walked briskly alongside Sokka as they made their way to school. She spent the entire night thinking about Zuko, if he was okay and if she should've stayed with him longer. She'd stayed with him, comforted him for hours, since they left school early at one o'clock until five in the afternoon, when he'd said he should go home and tell his uncle of the news. She offered to go with him but he insisted of going by himself, telling her that he'd taken enough of her time already. They'd stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, unsure of where they stood together, until Zuko gave her an awkward wave and departed.

Katara thought suddenly of the almost kiss they shared yesterday. She remembered how fast her heart was beating, how she couldn't believe he thought of her in that way, though she'd hoped. But then his father had called, opening a whole new door of problems for Zuko, and right now, she had to be there for him mentally, physically and emotionally, meaning that these frets on whether her and Zuko were friends or hopefully something more had to be curbed.

Since she's arrived home yesterday after comforting Zuko, Sokka had become very frisky with her. Unsure if it was her place to tell Sokka of Zuko's mother's death, she had been very vague with him, simply saying that she'd felt during school and merely went for a very long walk. Of course he'd noticed that Zuko hadn't been present as well and became suspicious.

Finally they arrived at school and Katara bid her brother goodbye as she made her way to her first class.

** X X X**  
"How was your day?" Katara enquired as she sat down next to Aang and Toph during lunch.  
"Stupid." Toph replied bluntly. "We have a huge essay to write for SOSE."  
"That's no good." Katara sympathised. "But you have to remember that the skills we learn from school are going to help us later in life."  
"One thousand and five hundred words, Katara!" Aang emphasised.

"On what?" Katara asked genuinely, baffled by Aang's desperate face.  
"A _mountain_!" Aang answered incredulously, his reply making Katara laugh.  
"Well a mountain or volcano of our choice." Toph provided. "But still, I can't think of a mountain or volcano to pick, let alone write a novel about one."

Sokka, who was conversing with his friends of his own age, Suki and her dance friends, suddenly spotted them. He left his group of friends abruptly and sat down in front of Katara, Aang and Toph.  
"You know, I have a lot of questions about my Maths Studies assignment." He started "Am I allowed to use a protractor? Do I need my scientific calculator? Is there such as thing as coordinate trigonometry? And where were you yesterday, Katara?"

Katara threw him a scornful glare.  
"That has nothing to do with your maths assignment."  
"It doesn't change my question."  
"I already told you: I felt sick and I needed some air."  
"For four hours?"  
"Wow, where'd you go?" Aang intruded.

"I just said! I went for a walk." Katara retorted.  
"Sure you did, Katara." Toph scoffed.

"Oh look there's Zuko!" Sokka said loudly. "He wasn't here either yesterday, maybe he'll be a worse liar than you." Katara's head snapped up and sure enough, there was a dishevelled Zuko walking towards them. His hair was unkempt, his clothes tousled and he had dark bags under his eyes. It was scary to Katara; to see that the effect of his mother's death was powerful enough to show through physically. As he joined them, he gave Katara a hesitant smile, which she was only too happy to return.

"Woah." Aang noticed. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"  
"Why?" Toph asked curiously. "What does he look like?"  
"Like he's eaten Sokka's brownies." Aang concluded.  
"I'm fine." Zuko reassured, as Sokka huffed in contempt.  
"You're lying." Toph said.  
"How would you know?" Zuko challenged in return.  
"Your voice is slightly off."  
"I'm surprised you noticed."  
"Being blind makes you surprisingly observant. So why do you look like you've taken Sokka's death recipe?  
"Hey! First of all, Suki really liked those brownies-"  
"Yeah, like she somehow liked your slug sand sculpture of her." Toph muttered.  
"-And secondly!" Sokka continued as if she hadn't spoken. "We'll get to Zuko's problems later, first thing's first, Zuko, what were you doing with my sister yesterday? It had better not be what I think it is!"  
"Sokka, you're the biggest idiot I know. For that reason alone, I can assure you it's not what you think it is. Zuko and I weren't with each-" Katara retaliated.

"My mother died yesterday and Katara was just comforting me." Zuko said. Katara snapped her neck as she looked round at him, she definitely hadn't expected him to tell them the truth. But she could see on his face that he was beyond caring, that he thought the matter of embarrassment or hesitancy was trivial compared to his ordeal. A loud silence followed his declaration, until finally:

"Good going, Sokka." Toph commented.  
"What? Why-"  
"Yeah Sokka." Aang agreed. "Way to rub it in."  
" But I didn't even know that-"  
"Are you okay, Zuko?" Toph asked genuinely.  
"We're so sorry." Aang contributed warmly.

"So am I! Zuko, really-"

"Shut up Sokka." Toph said.

"It's fine." Zuko said gruffly. "Sokka didn't know and I don't blame him for being suspicious."  
"Ha!" Sokka exclaimed triumphantly at Toph and Aang, and then he turned back to Zuko. "No but seriously, how're you holding up?" Zuko shrugged and sighed.  
"She dies in a bus crash yesterday. I'm okay. I think, I did most of my grieving yesterday and I was awful. I was angry and mean and upset. I kept trying to get Katara to leave me alone, to stop trying to comfort me, but she wouldn't take no for an answer." Katara felt her spirits lift as a small smile twitched as Zuko's lips.

"Hopefully," Zuko continued. "I won't feel like that again. I'm not over it, and I don't think I ever will be, but at least now I know I'll be… stable." He looked down in embarrassment and Katara thought back to the day before, she's been quite shocked to see Zuko lose control the way he did, but with how he'd received the news and how sudden it had been, she shouldn't have been surprised.  
"Anyway," Zuko said, clearing his throat "My mothers funeral is next week and Uncle is setting up the entire thing. Maybe that'll help."

They all nodded sympathetically, with the exception of Toph who chose to punch him quite painfully on the arm, causing Zuko to wince.  
"Well if you need anything," Aang piped up "we're all here for you."  
"Yeah!" Sokka agreed, throwing an arm comradely over Zuko's shoulders. "All you need to do is ask, Buddy."  
"I'm fine." Zuko informed.  
"Well I'm going to yours after school." Toph declared. "After going there everyday since you got expelled, I like it a lot better than my house. Aang will come too, right Aang?"  
"We'll all come, if that's okay, Zuko." Katara suggested, glancing at the boy in question. "And I could help make some of the calls for the funeral." Zuko's face lit up slightly with a small smile and Katara thought of how even the slightest show of positive emotion from Zuko somehow felt like a reward.  
"You don't have to make any calls, but it would be nice if you all came."

The bell rang at that moment as Katara got up to follow the rest of her friends as they made their way to class, Zuko grabbed her elbow and she turned to face them.  
"Hey," he started awkwardly. "I just wanted to say thanks, for staying with me yesterday, it meant a lot." Katara smiled radiantly, happy that he hadn't regretted letting her comfort him.

"Don't even worry about it, Zuko." She replied warmly. "If you ever need any of us, to talk to, don't hesitate. You're not a burden." Zuko grinned lightly at her.  
"You're too nice for your own good."  
"Better too nice than too mean."

"Definitely. By the way, how's everything going with the investigation?" Zuko inquired.

Katara felt her mood instantly darken with the question.  
"Pretty well." Katara answered, trying to keep her voice nonchalant. "They're going to question Mr. Stein today, and as he made the call he can't deny being involved. I'm also an eyewitness and the best thing is that because I was five when it happened, I can't be charged with withholding information."  
"That's great." Zuko agreed. "But you don't seem so pleased. What's wrong?"

Katara sighed, defeated. For a long time, she'd kept the reality of her thoughts hidden, because they were personal, they portrayed her, and they weren't good thoughts. But Zuko had confided to her when his mother died, he had told her every single thought he'd had as she'd held him yesterday. She owed it to him to be honest.  
"With the way things are going, that man is going to be arrested, maybe he'll get a life sentence and anything less wouldn't matter because he'd probably die of old age anyway." She leaned against a wall and looked down at her feet, her eyes screwing with anger as she voiced her thoughts. "But there's always been a apart of me, and there still is, that makes me want to find him myself, and punish him personally for what he did. Sometimes I feel like jail, no matter how long of a sentence, isn't enough at all."

She felt fury spread throughout her body, and adrenalin fill her veins, along with the strong urge to find Mr. Stein at that moment with a knife in her hand. Beside her, Zuko was quiet and she honestly couldn't blame him. She sounded like an absolute lunatic.

"I know exactly how you feel." Zuko said suddenly, and Katara was surprised to hear how genuine his voice sounded, that he wasn't just humouring her. "I've had plenty of thoughts about doing some pretty horrible stuff to my father, to get back at him. But then I think about why I hate him, and one of the reasons is exactly because he's so intent on revenge. He felt like Jet was turning me into someone he didn't want, so as an act of revenge, he fired Jet's parents and made it almost impossible for them to get other jobs. Those are the sort of people who take revenge on people, and as tempting as the thought is, to hurt him in some way, it wouldn't make me any better than him, it would make me just like him, and that's the last thing I want."

Katara found herself moved by Zuko's speech. She could tell he wasn't trying to change her mind and that he wasn't trying to force his opinions on her. He was just honestly telling her his own struggles with the thought in order to contribute to her own decision. And it worked, for as Zuko didn't at all want to be like his father, Katara had no intention of ever having anything in common with the man who took her mother's life.

Katara knew how wise Iroh was, but what she hadn't noticed until now, and what Zuko probably still didn't know, was that Zuko was just as wise as his uncle.  
"You're right." She said quietly, and Zuko looked at her. "I've always wondered what kind of person could do such a thing, but now I think I understand. For someone to another's life, they must be pathetic and sad and empty." She looked determinedly up at him. "And there's no way I want to anything like that. Anyway, I think that as much as I hate him, I just wouldn't be able to kill him."

The words felt strange from her lips, because she'd never clearly admitted that she wanted the man to suffer the same fate as her mother, at her own hands. But she certainly felt much better after confiding in Zuko, who she felt at complete ease with. She also felt better that his thoughts were able to change her own. She gave him a sincere smile before throwing herself into his arms. Her arms locked around his neck as her head rested on his shoulder. Zuko's own arms came loosely around her waist and his head fell against hers, making her stomach flip at the intimacy of their embrace. It was at that moment that Katara realised she truly had feelings for Zuko, that it wasn't just a little crush she'd been feeling over the past few weeks, it was the developing realisation that Zuko was genuine, honourable, dependable, that he brought out the best in her and that she wanted to be with him.

Of course now wasn't the time to tell him, with everything going, in fact she might not ever tell him. She didn't even know if he felt as strongly as she did.

**X X X  
**

"I wish your Uncle didn't work until seven," Toph complained, sprawled comfortably on Zuko's couch. "I feel like we don't see enough of the old man." Zuko snorted.  
"The old man has to earn a living, and it's five, he'll be here in two hours if you want to talk to him."  
"Yeah, maybe he can teach you how to make tea." Sokka said, his face screwing up in repulsion as he set down the 'tea' Zuko had attempted to make for them.  
"Still not as bad as your brownies." Katara muttered under her breath, causing Aang to laugh. At that moment there was a ring on the doorbell. Katara looked up as Zuko moved to open the door with a baffled expression his face.

Zuko pulled the door open to reveal a tall, polished man. Katara eyes widened at the striking resemblance between this man and Zuko. His eyes, like Zuko's, were joltingly amber and his dark sleek hair contrasted with his pale skin in the same way. Katara could see they that they shared the same face, the same features and the only striking difference that set them apart was the dramatic change that came with age. This was Zuko's father, Katara realised. But she could see that although they shared physical similarities that they were completely different, mentally. It was clear from his facial expression and posture that this man carried himself with unwavering confidence. It was clear to Katara, that unlike Zuko, his father was arrogant. Looking around at the rest of her friends. Katara could see they all also realised whom the intruder was, and that they weren't happy about it. Aang leaned down to whisper into Toph's ear and Katara saw the younger girl's face go feral.

Despite the shock of Zuko's father's appearance, nothing could prepare Katara for Zuko's reaction. He jumped back and his face turned ugly with ferocity.

"What are you doing here?" He snarled.  
"Is that any way to greet your father, Zuko?" His father smirked in return.

"I don't have time for your games. What do you want?"  
"I was right about your mother's death, wasn't I?"

"The world would've been better off if it was yours."

"You insolent chi-"  
"I think you should leave." The words were out of Katara mouth before she had time to filter them. Zuko's father turned to her and she felt her knees turn to liquid, just the way he looked at her made her feel terror, she couldn't even imagine living with him for more than a decade as Zuko did.

"I think you'll find," The man started, his voice calm and controlled, but unmistakably dangerous, "that it isn't your place to suggest that." Zuko stepped in front of her, shielding her of his father's gaze, but she placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped forward to face his father's fury, despite her nagging fear.  
"I'm just saying," she continued carefully, "that you haven't picked the best of times to make an appearance."  
"What she's really trying to say," Toph piped up. "Is that you're an idiot and no one wants you here." Sokka and Aang stifled their laughter, and a smile twitched at Zuko's lips but Katara stiffened at Toph's blunt but true statement, fearing the reaction of Zuko's father. His cold eyes slid slowly over Toph, who sensed his gaze and grinned cheekily back at him. Katara could see the muscle in his jaw tense, perhaps in an attempt to remain icy and indifferent.

"To put it quite simply," He said, his voice sending chills down Katara's spine. She stared defiantly back at him, determined not to show him the fear she was really feeling. "I will be attending your mother's funeral, without Azula, of course." This announcement did not bode well with Zuko. His eyes turned to slits and his nostrils flared.  
"No." He said quietly, but it didn't lessen the power and emotion behind his words. "You're not coming, with or without Azula."

"She was my wife, and I will not be ordered around by an ignorant child."  
"You don't care what she was to you." Zuko retorted. "You didn't care about her at all. You couldn't wait to tell me she was dead just to hurt me, which is the only reason you want to go to the funeral." A triumphant leer crossed his father's face.  
"Whatever my reasons, whatever I feel, I have a right to go to that funeral. And I will be there Zuko, whether you like it not, I will be there, and there's nothing you can do about it."

With that, he turned around and made his way out of the house, but Zuko shot past Katara and grabbed his father's arm, yanking him around to make him face him.  
"I'm warning you now, that if I see at that funeral at all, even if just for a second, _this_" Zuko pointed at his scar, "will no longer be a result of an _accident_. If I see you at my mother's funeral, I'll have you put in jail faster than you can say 'child abuse'."

For the first time, Katara saw fear in the man's features.  
"Very well." He said coldly in defeat. "You know Zuko, perhaps you are more like me than you rea-"  
"I want to talk to Azula." Zuko declared. His father blanched.  
"Absolutely not." He protested, but Zuko didn't take any notice of him, on the contrary, he shoved past his father until he was outside and heading towards his car where Katara could see a form through the window. Zuko opened his father's door and Katara saw a girl, about her age emerge from it. She was definitely his sister, she had the same eyes, the same hair. Zuko's father started towards them, but Sokka and Aang, to Katara's shock, both grabbed his arm.  
"Just give them a minute." Sokka advised, his voice shaking. The man wrenched his arm out of their grip.  
"Don't touch me, peasants." He snarled (Authors Note: I'm sorry, I just had to have him say that).

He continued towards Zuko and Azula who were still talking avidly outside. Without thought, Katara leapt forward and slammed the door closed than barricaded Zuko's father's way with her body. Toph, Aang and Sokka joined her.  
"Get out of the way. What you are doing can be classified as holding me hostage which I can assure you is illegal."  
"So is intentionally burning your son's face." Aang countered.  
"Yeah, and if you touch any of us, we're not going to keep quiet like Zuko." Toph threatened. An ugly sneer transcended the man's face.  
"Have it your own way." He said, defeated once more. He moved towards the window to look at Azula and Zuko. Katara's heart pounded, as she waited for Zuko to finish talking to Azula, so that they could let the monster in the house with them leave. Evidently, the fear showed on her face, for Zuko's father looked at her with a knowing smirk, she glared back furiously at him, not needing to fake anger.

Finally, after five more minutes, there was knock at the door. Katara swung it open and Zuko walked back in, Azula was waiting for her father by the car.

"You can leave now." Zuko told his father. In two seconds, Zuko's father was in his son's face, looming dangerously over him.

"You forget your place." He said severely to his son. "I am your father, you belong to me." Zuko shoved his father back roughly.  
"Being a father isn't a title. It's a full time job, it means that you have the responsibility of taking care of someone else." At this Zuko's father laughed.  
"Are you implying something about your tea loving loony of an uncle?"  
"Yes, I am. Your brother is more of a father to me than you'll ever be."

With that Zuko opened the door, letting his father know that he wanted him gone. The man held his gaze before finally making his way out of the house. But just before he made it out, he stopped.  
"No matter what you feel, no matter where you go, you can't escape me. You're my son and because of that, I'm in your blood." Zuko shrugged at his statement.  
"I really don't care what you think. Because to me, you'll always just be the reason my mother left."

**I'm so sorry it took me such a long time to upload this chapter, on the bright side though, it's my longest one yet! Approximately 3,500 words. Please review! **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When Ozai left, there was silence.

They were all sitting around a table in Zuko's lounge. Zuko was staring solemnly at the floor, thinking about a part of his conversation with Azula:

_"You have to leave him." He'd said "I know he seems okay to you now, but the moment you do something he doesn't like, no matter how trivial, he will turn on you."  
"ZuZu, you seem forget that I'm much more selective with my words than you are. No need to worry about me brother, I can handle myself."  
"You say that now, while your face is still unblemished." For one of the few moments in his life, Zuko had seen fear ignite in his sister's eyes.  
"I know you're scared," he'd continued, "And I know neither of us have been there for each other in the past, but when you want to leave-"  
"If" Azula had corrected.  
-When you want to leave, call Uncle." Zuko had fished out a pen from his pocket, along a five-dollar note and had written his Uncle's number on it.  
"I'm not going to need help any time soon." Azula told him. But she'd still reached out to take the number anyway.  
"Hopefully, you never will."_

"What did you mean, about your father being the reason your mother left?" Aang asked suddenly, breaking through his reminiscing. Zuko was quite surprised that Aang had been the one to ask him the question. He'd expected bold Toph to ask him, or even tactless Sokka.

But the younger boy wasn't trying to be rude, wasn't trying to be nosy, his face was open with genuine concern, his big grey eyes shining curiously, like he thought he could somehow help Zuko if he knew the truth.  
"Yeah," Toph interjected, "You told us you didn't know why your mother left."  
"I didn't" Zuko said honestly, "but I was thinking about it the other day, about a conversation I'd heard between my parents, it doesn't tell me exactly what happened, but it made it clear that my father was responsible for her leave. I always knew it had something to do with him, and with me."  
"What do you mean?" Sokka and Katara said in unison. Zuko smiled bitterly. Another story about his messed up life to tell. But Zuko had noticed that with every dark thought and part of his life that he confessed to these people, he felt like a weight was slowly being lifted from his shoulders.

"The only thing I remember is that I was heading towards the kitchen and I heard my parents talking, whispering, like they didn't want to be heard, and I was seven, so I eavesdropped.  
"They're in the way" was what father said, to my mother. And she'd said:  
"We can all be out of your hair." She'd said it hopefully.  
"I'd still have a legal observation to them." I remember being scared about the way he'd sounded, calm but so ruthless. Then he'd said:  
"I think, I'll go ahead with my earlier suggestion." The passion behind my mother's reply scared me. She'd shrieked:  
"Absolutely not! I forbid it." He'd hit her then and unfortunately it was nothing new. Then he said:  
"There is another way, if you're willing."  
"No" and she'd sounded horrified.  
"You've always had a soft spot for him, haven't you?" He'd said, his voice was like ice. "I'm not talking about my brother anyway, that would be more complicated." I remember at that moment, I'd peeked from behind the wall I was hiding and I saw my mother, her head bowed, and she was biting her lip, whatever my father was suggesting, it wasn't pleasant, but she said:  
"I'll do it."  
What convinced me that my father had something to do with her leaving was his reply. To this day I have no idea what they were talking about, something about us, but not knowing didn't change the meaning of my father's reply:  
"Very good." He'd said, then: "When the deed is done, you will make certain that you are of no association to me, otherwise, our eldest will deal with the consequences."

**X X X**

Azula watched sullenly out her window as her father drove them home. She thought about something Zuko had said to her:

"_ZuZu, you seem forget that I'm much more selective with my words than you are. No need to worry about me brother, I can handle myself."  
"You say that now, while your face is still unblemished."_

It had scared her, more than she wanted to admit, because he was right. For as long as she could remember, her father had always been there, not exactly affectionate or loving but he'd been a solid thing in her life. But living with him was like walking on thin ice: Even the slightest amount of pressure could end her.

Once or twice, Azula had asked her father to do one thing or another, and when he didn't agree, she saw his eyes turn cold and dangerous. The same way he'd looked when he'd scarred Zuko. She always had to backtrack, decide that her idea was stupid even when it wasn't, just to please him. Just to keep herself safe.

For the most part, it was quite luxurious to live with him, and she did enjoy how her father encouraged her, when he agreed with her decisions, but sometimes, at night, when she was sleeping, her mother's vague face would drift into her mind, and leave Azula wondering what had happened to cause her to leave for the next two days.

She never found the answer though, and she didn't dare approach her father about it.

"You say that now, while your face is still unblemished."

Just talking about their mother in front of their father had earned Zuko a mark made of cruelty. A mark that inspired horror whenever it caught someone's eye.

And Zuko hadn't even asked questions.

No, Azula would have to remain clueless for the rest of her life.

"What did Zuko want?" Her father said suddenly, eyes intent through the rear view mirror. Azula forced out a convincing laugh.  
"He tried to convince me that I needed to leave." She met her father's eyes in the mirror, saw them narrow. "What an absurd idea, as if I would leave a life of luxury and success." She saw her father visibly relax and she felt herself flood with relief.

"Zuko has lost his senses, just like your Uncle. But it doesn't matter, because I have you, my prodigy." Azula gave him a mischievous smile.

She would be his prodigy, his heir; she'd inherit all his money and most likely, his position in the company. Perhaps she should stay, banish all these thoughts of leaving from her mind and uphold the family name, the family members that hadn't been tainted, as father always told her.  
After all, Ozai was her father, it made sense to stay, right?

It was the right thing to forget about Zuko.

Right?

**X X X**

A week had passed and Zuko was finally attending his mother's funeral. He was getting dressed into his suit and Uncle would be coming in about ten minutes, half an hour before the funeral started. He was in his room, which was small but clean and the sunset sunlight shining through the window, bathed the room with a serene and beautiful orange.  
"Done?" Came a voice from the other side of the door. Katara. The rest of their friends had been at his house earlier, but they'd all gone home a couple hours ago at about four o'clock in the afternoon, but Katara had stayed to help him with his Maths homework, and had insisted on seeing him in the suit when he'd brought up the funeral. **  
**"Pretty much." He answered, and it was true, he had everything on, all except for the stupid tie, which he couldn't seem to knot right. He opened the door for her, and Katara smiled a small smile, when she looked at him, eyes soft and widening slightly, he suddenly felt self-conscious.

With everything happening, his feelings for Katara were making everything more confusing. Yes, they'd almost kissed, but with all the chaos that had went on the past week, he wasn't sure of she was still interested. She'd seen him at his worst, that day when he'd found about his mother, and she'd held him, been the emotional support he'd never received from anyone else other than his Uncle. But despite her support, what if seeing him like that had driven any thoughts of being involved with him romantically?

Zuko found that his feelings for her grew everyday and luckily he was good at concealing them, but occasionally he would stare at her for a moment to long, and she would catch him doing it. Hopefully she didn't know why he was staring at her in the first place. It made his heart bloom, when he thought of the possibility of being with her. But he always felt like he didn't deserve her and it made him feel angry to feel that he wasn't worthy of her, Katara with her kindness, her strength of will and her heart of gold. It made him feel even worse when he thought of the strong possibility that after seeing how truly complicated and messed up his life was, she wouldn't want him.

She was grinning at him now, leaning against the doorframe, and Zuko gave her a small smile in return.  
"You clean up nice." She said quietly. The words could've easily been mistaken for flirting, but Katara's tone made them sincere.  
"Thanks." Zuko replied softly, feeling tension in the air as their eyes locked. He reached for the tie, around his neck and fumbled with it nervously. "I just don't know how to tie this stupid thing." At this, Katara laughed and the tension in the room eased.

"You're hopeless." She said, rolling her eyes. "Let me help."

She stepped into the room, approaching him as Zuko chuckled, feeling a little like a fool.  
"I've never worn a suit before." Zuko told her, trying to excuse himself. "Well I did once, but I was a kid." Katara came close and reached for the tie.  
"Don't worry about it, Zuko." She advised. "Sokka still doesn't know how to tie a tie."  
"And that's supposed to reassure me?" At this Katara laughed, but didn't say anything in reply.

Zuko looked down at her. Her eyes were fixed on his collar, tying the tie that he couldn't, and while she seemed unaware of their proximity, he wasn't. There was barely any space between them. His eyes did not leave her, and Zuko was sure that Katara felt his gaze, for her cheeks turned a rosy pink, but she did not meet his eyes. Being this close to her was doing weird things to him. He was noticing how truly beautiful her eyes were and how her dark eyelashes framed them stunningly. He noticed how soft her skin looked, how thick her hair was, making him wonder what her face would feel like in his hands, and how it would feel to tangle his hands in her hair. He noticed her lips, and how at that moment, they were only a few inches from his. She was _right there._ It would be so easy, to lean down and-

He kissed her.

She made a surprised sound as Zuko's lips fell on hers and for a split second she did not react, making Zuko realise the stupidity of his move. But then her arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer, and she was kissing him back.

Zuko wrapped his own arms enthusiastically around her waist, heart beating at an impossible rate, amazed that she'd returned his kiss rather than slapped him. Her lips were soft on his and it occurred to Zuko that kissing Katara, felt natural, not awkward, or forced, but _right. _And though their kiss was hesitant, it felt to him as though they were sharing something personal, that it was more than just a momentary meeting of the lips. He wanted to be with her.

Katara's hands moved up to twist into his hair and Zuko, encouraged by this, leaned closer, arms tightening around her. He felt the kiss become more urgent, heightening the passion between them both. He couldn't think straight, couldn't fully grasp the reality of what was happening but he knew he didn't want it to stop.

Uncle walked in at that moment.

The two of them jumped apart. Zuko felt extremely embarrassed and he could tell that Katara was too, by the redness of her face.  
"Oops, I'm sorry, I'll just be outside-" Uncle backtracked, but the damage was done, the moment gone.  
"That's okay Iroh, I should probably leave now anyway." Katara interrupted her face still flushed. Zuko's eyes followed her, and he wanted to say a million things, but Uncle was standing right there. Katara looked at him, her eyes uncertain, as if she was unsure on how to bid him goodbye after their latest development. She hastily approached him and kissed his cheek, making Zuko smile slightly, then she headed to the door, waved to Iroh and left.

When Zuko heard the sound of their front door closing, he rounded on his Uncle.

"You have the worst timing on the planet!"

**Chapter nine everybody! Okay, so I hope you enjoyed that, and for a heads up, chapter 10 will be about Zuko going to the funeral and how someone surprisingly shows up (It's not Ozai or Azula by the way).**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I'm so very sorry for your loss."

"It's such a _tragedy_."  
"You'll get over it eventually."  
"I know exactly how you feel, young man, my cat passed away last month."

Zuko was never exactly an expert on socialising with other people, but he'd never imagined feeling as hopeless as he did now, with all these people awkwardly trying to reassure him. There were surprisingly a lot of people who showed up at Ursa's funeral. Uncle had informed him that she'd had a lot of friends, a lot of colleagues and a lot of people she was close to and Zuko wasn't surprised, she had been an extraordinary person after all. His father had restricted his mother, he'd never allowed her to socialise with other people, only to look as if she were a mere possession.

Zuko felt himself fill with pride, and for a split second, he wished his father were here, just so he could see how loved and successful his mother had been without him. Despite the obvious tragedy of his situation, Zuko felt his spirits lift and became more friendly to the people acknowledged him, however awkward and strange their reassurances were.

Uncle was also quite popular with the guests. He was telling all his favourite jokes, giving his eccentric but wise advice to those in need of it and offering his various tea recipes to anyone who would give him the chance. A smile twitched at Zuko's lips. He knew that the position he was in, with his loved mother gone, was not a happy one, and he knew that he was short of a supportive family. But he had Uncle, and for now and forever, that was enough.

Zuko looked from a while away, at an elaborate, beautiful jar on a pedestal in at the front of the garden. The jar was golden, and decorated with intricate and detailed patterns. Inside were the ashes of his mother. Zuko looked swiftly away. Him and his Uncle had been informed that his mother's body had been so… disfigured, by the crash, that it was preferable to have her body cremated. At first, Zuko had protested, saying that he didn't want his mother's body _burned, _but then he'd had an image of his mother in the ground, with her face and body deformed for all eternity until her body would rot, and he'd changed his mind.

Zuko knew exactly where he would set her ashes free. A place they'd shared together, a place she'd loved and a place where she would rest in peace. The thought left Zuko feeling satisfied and content, like he was doing something right, like it would be what his mother would've wanted, even though he wouldn't know for sure.

Uncle had asked him if he'd wanted to make a speech about his mother at the funeral, which Zuko had declined. He didn't want anyone making a speech at the funeral, for everyone had their own different perceptions of his mother, whether they were a friend, colleague or family, it depended. Zuko wouldn't have known what to say anyway, and worse, there was always the possibility of him crying in front of a lot of strangers.

Zuko's mind wandered to Katara as he poured himself a drink. They'd kissed, and that thought alone was enough to make Zuko grin a little. But now it was going to be more awkward than ever. He didn't know how to act around her at all now. He didn't know if they were going out or not, or if she wanted to go out with him at all. Sure they'd kissed, but what if he approached her, acting like they were a couple and she told him it was a one-time thing or something. What if their kiss had been a momentary rush of emotion? He knew Katara wasn't like that, especially since she'd kissed him back, and wasn't the sort to lead anyone on, but still, he couldn't just assume she wanted him. And how was he even supposed to approach the subject at all, without making their friendship, or whatever it was, extremely uncomfortable.

Zuko groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, before hearing a sudden crash behind him.

Instinctively, he turned around, and found himself looking at the last person he expected.

Jet.

He was wearing a suit and was sheepishly picking up chairs he'd knocked over, but he was here. Zuko stared at him, unable to believe his eyes. Jet looked up at that moment and met his eyes. He gave a hesitant grin, which quickly faded when Zuko's shocked, but cold expression remained intact. A sudden surge of anger hit Zuko. Jet was here to ruin his mother's funeral, to sabotage it, like he'd done with the rest of Zuko's life.

But there was no way Zuko would let him, he'd suffered under Jet's tyranny for a long time, and he'd handled it, hadn't caused problems. But his mother, dead or alive, was a completely different matter.

Jet approached him awkwardly, with no change from Zuko, and stopped to face him.  
"Hi" Jet started. Zuko stiffened, put off by Jet's unusually civil manner.  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Zuko snarled savagely, his temper rising. Jet winced and a ran a hand through his hair.  
"Yeah, I guess I deserve that." He replied evenly, much to Zuko's surprise. But still, his rage didn't abate. On the contrary, it heightened and he took another menacing step closer to the other boy.  
"I'm going to give you a chance right now to leave quietly." Zuko informed him, his voice quiet but lethal. "If you turn around right now, without making a sound, and walk away, I won't have to hurt you. You've messed up a lot of things Jet, but you won't mess up this."

Jet met his gaze calmly.  
"I'm not here to ruin your mother's funeral." He said levelly, and oddly, sincerely. Zuko looked at the other boy suspiciously.  
"Then why are you here?" He asked, baffled. Jet looked away, looking… Guilty?  
"I screwed up." He said quietly. Zuko looked at him, bewildered for a moment.  
"What?"  
"I screwed up." Jet repeated simply, shrugging his shoulders. "I made your life hell when you needed me most. I remember how weird you used to get when I mentioned one of your parents, even though your mum was gone. How secretive you were. And then I came over one day and you answered the door and it scared me. You were so nervous and jittery, you told me to leave and that you'd explained later, but I thought you were embarrassed of me so I went into your house anyway."

Zuko looked at Jet, unable to speak and unable to figure out where the other boy was heading with this reminiscence for their memories.

"I hated your dad when I met him, and he hated me, and while we were having our awkward conversation, you were in the corner, anxiously twiddling your thumbs. And even though I didn't like your dad, I couldn't figure out why you were so nervous. You avoided me for the next two days and when I confronted you at school, you said: "My father doesn't want me to be friends with you anymore." And boy did you sound upset about it. What did I say?: "Screw him, who cares what he thinks?" and I kept drilling you to ignore him and you did, eventually. And our friendship never wavered"  
"Where are you going with this?" Zuko interrupted impatiently, almost suspicious Jet was stalling to put one of his plans in action.

"Then you're Dad fired my parents because we were friends. And I blamed you. I told you not to listen to your Dad even though you warned me countless times after I met him, what he was capable of. It wasn't your fault at all, what he did. Even my parents implored me to make up with you. But I shunned you instead." Jet took a shuddering breath.  
"When you came to school with that scar on your face, I knew, _I knew _that you'd stood up to him, for me, and that you'd paid the price, and that should've been the moment that I walked up to you as a friend, not as an enemy. That's when I should've been there for you. But I'd thought of my parents again, and my pride got in the way, so instead of making things better, I made them so much worse." He looked at Zuko, straight in the eye. And Zuko, hearing all this, from his best friend and from his tormentor, felt many mixed emotions: Anger, sadness, joy, bitterness, and relief. Jet continued.

"When you came to Roku High, all that guilt, all that regret came rushing back, especially after I saw how I made you." He laughed. "When we were best friends, you were the funniest kid I knew, so outspoken and outrageous and friendly. But seeing you, when you came to Roku, was surreal. You were cold and isolated and wary of everyone and it was my fault. I started that fight at school a few weeks ago, because I wanted you to hurt me. I wanted to give myself a reason to hate you. But it just made me feel so much worse. You'd lost both your parents and I was just reminding you of it."

Their eyes met. Jet's pleading and full of regret and sorrow. Zuko's cold but swirling with year's worth of unspoken emotion.

"Now your mother's passed away, and I came to terms with the fact that I was wrong, that you were right and that I was the biggest douchebag that ever walked the planet. I know that this time round, you need your friends more than ever, and this time, I'm not going to abandon you. I'm going to stick by you, like I should've done before, no matter what." He paused. "I'm so, so sorry Zuko, and I hope you can forgive me."

Zuko stood there, completely unsure of what to do. On one hand, he wanted to punch Jet squarely in the face and tell him that it was too little too late, but on the other hand, he'd never ever imagined an apology from Jet, much less an entire story to go with it. There were so many reasons why Zuko wanted to dismiss Jet then and there, but then he realised three things: he needed his friends more than ever, Jet was actually apologising for _everything_ and finally, his best friend was back.

With a small smile Zuko held out his hand.  
"My Uncle heavily believes in second chances." He said, and saw Jet's eyes widen hopefully as he understood what Zuko was implicating. "I learn from the best." With a relieved grin, Jet firmly grasped his hand and they shook on it. And just like that, years of tension, betrayal and torment were gone.

"To friends?" Jet suggested, a familiar smirk from their old days on his lips. Zuko returned the smile, feeling elated and powerful and like he was nine again all at once. He replied:  
"To new beginnings." _  
_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The greatest thing about being friends with Jet was being friends with Jet. After re-establishing their friendship at Ursa's funeral, Zuko and Jet became inseparable once more, as they had been years before. A week had passed since the funeral and it was as if the boys had never had their falling out, as if nothing had changed but their age.

However, this rekindled friendship didn't jeopardise his friendship with Sokka, Aang and Toph. As for Katara, they'd tried to talk to each other in private the past week, to shed some light on their current situation, because neither of them knew where they were at or what they were. Zuko knew he wanted them to be together, he felt like he could be honest with Katara and at the same time, he felt good when she confided him. But more than that, he was attracted to her and he could see a future with her, something he'd never felt with anyone else before.

Every time Zuko thought back to their kiss, he always recalled how right it felt, how exhilarating it had been. But every time he and Katara had tried to discuss anything, Aang, Sokka or Toph would obliviously approach them and pop in, leaving Zuko more frustrated than ever.

Funnily enough, girls were what Zuko and Jet ended up discussing one early Saturday morning at what used to be a golf course. The cool, early morning air surrounded both boys as they stood across from each other on endless green hills.  
"Toss another one," Zuko ordered, bending his knees and securing his grip determinedly on his baseball bat.  
"You asked for it," Jet smirked.

They were playing a game they used to play when they were younger, a game involving a baseball and many cartons of eggs. The rules were simple: hit or be hit.

Holding an egg in his hand, Jet held it back behind his head, Zuko's eyes narrowed as the other boy sneered and before he could react, Jet threw yet another egg with exceptional speed, successfully egging Zuko's neck.  
"Ow!" Zuko exclaimed, causing Jet to laugh.

"Another victory for the Freedom Fighter!" Jet announced, using his familiar childhood title. "You're losing your touch, Blue Spirit." He added.  
"I'm out of practice," Zuko protested. In the last few years, Jet had continued playing sports, whilst Zuko had become a social pariah. "Give me the eggs. Your turn to bat, Freedom Fighter." He tossed the bat to Jet, who caught it easily as the boys switched positions.

"So," Zuko began, as he bent to pick up an egg, "Are you still that vile heartbreaker I remember from all those years ago." Jet laughed at Zuko's sarcasm, spinning the bat experimentally in his hands. He'd been quite cruel to girls when they were eight, and until they were eleven he'd claim noisily that they all had cooties whenever they touched him, whether it was accidental or not.  
"Believe it or not, I had a girlfriend last year." Jet informed him. "That blonde perky girl in the year below us." Zuko snorted, unable to picture Jet with someone so… peppy.  
"What happened?" He asked curiously. Jet wrinkled his noise.  
"She was way too cheery, not to mention clingy. I'm looking for some who can hold their own, someone independent." He hit an oncoming egg with precision, making Zuko scowl in defeat.

"Someone like Azula?" Zuko tested. Despite his fear of girls when they were younger, Zuko had always been aware of Jet's crush on his sister. Jet grinned at him now, unashamed, as he'd always been.  
"Someone exactly like Azula." He agreed. Apparently the crush was still there.

"How about you?" Jet countered. "Anyone you're interested in?" Zuko looked at him warily, unsure whether to confide in him of his feelings for him. Would Jet actually be helpful, or would he laugh and tease Zuko, because for Zuko, his feelings for Katara were more than a crush.  
"Yeah actually," He started, trying his best to sound casual. "Katara." As expected, Jet laughed.  
"You want to hook up with Sokka's little sister? Good luck telling him that, he can be intimidating when he's angry." Zuko looked at him, shocked and surprised.  
"I don't want to hook up with her." He objected, disgusted. Jet's grin widened.  
"What, so you actually want a proper relationship?" he jested, laughing now. Zuko's face remained stoic, defensive, which was all the answer Jet needed. His grin died on his lips.  
"Oh," he said quietly, and Zuko saw guilt grace his features.  
"Well, it's not going to work out, man." Jet said quietly, and Zuko opened his mouth to argue, but Jet continued. "She's in love with me." Zuko snorted again and Jet laughed, the joke lightening the mood. Zuko, seeing the distraction, threw an egg at Jet, fisting the air in triumph as it hit him on the head.  
"Best shot of the day!" Zuko declared "Proudly brought to you by the Blue Spirit." Jet grimaced, attempting to get yolk out of his hair.

"So does she know how you feel?" He asked curiously. Zuko felt heat crawl up his neck and to his face as he muttered his next words.  
"We kissed before the funeral. Now it's really awkward. I don't know what we are and everyone else keeps getting in the way."  
"Where'd you try to talk to her?" Jet inquired.  
"A few times at school." Jet was next to Zuko in an instant and he thwacked him at the back of the head with his slimy hand.  
"Ow!"  
"Well there's the problem, you dolt." Jet reprimanded. "You've been trying to talk to her at school, a social place. Go over to her house you doof. Man, I have so much to teach you."

"Go to her house? You mean now?" Zuko asked. Jet exhaled dramatically, and then looped an arm over Zuko's shoulders.  
"Five years without me as your best friend has clearly done its damage." He said exasperatedly, before grinning. "It's good to have you back, ZuZu." Zuko shoved the other boy, making him yell and stumble to the ground. Zuko smirked above him.  
"You too Jet."

**X X X**

Katara looked down sadly at the photo in her hands, a family photo that was taken when she was three and Sokka was four. Their father was holding her and Kya, their mother was holding a missing toothed Sokka.

She never could let go of her mother. She knew it was useless, lingering on her, thinking of every single moment that occurred in her life, and wondering if they would be different if her mother had been in them.

The lunatic who'd killed Kya was in jail, and although it comforted Katara to know that he was paying for his actions, it didn't change what happened, it didn't bring back her mother, it didn't undo Katara's fear of Mr Stein for all those years, it didn't stop Katara's continuing nightmares and certainly didn't lessen any of the grief she felt.

Every day she wondered, every day she thought and she considered. What if they'd lived somewhere else? What if Sokka and Hakoda had been home that day? What if it had been someone else who lived in Mr Stein's house? What if they'd managed to contact the police earlier? Would any of it have prevented Kya's death? Or was it fate that had decided Kya's demise.

It didn't help that these thoughts made it so much harder for Katara to deal with what happened, to move on and heal. But she couldn't do it. Because she felt like if she didn't feel this pain, if she didn't maintain it, she'd feel numb instead, she wouldn't feel anything at all. She was worried that one day she'd wake up, think of her mother's face, and feel emotionless. Besides Mr. Stein, it was her greatest fear.

And the worst thing? She couldn't talk to anyone about it. She couldn't talk to Sokka and her father, who she knew were both healing and felt better every day, she couldn't do that to them, make them feel the hurt she felt. She couldn't talk to Aang and Toph because she always, _always, _felt like she had to be strong for them. Both of them confided in her about the things they didn't want anyone else to know about, Aang about how is hippy parents went away all the time to "find themselves' and Toph confided in her for the exact opposite reason: Her parents treated her as if her blindness made her useless and pathetic. So Katara couldn't confide in them, how could they rely on her if they knew she was a mess, if they knew she couldn't even handle her own problems?

And Zuko? Well she didn't even know what they were. She liked.. a lot, more than liked him, which was stupid because she was fourteen. But Katara didn't get crushes, she thought they were juvenile and useless, but what she felt for Zuko wasn't a crush. She felt emotionally connected to him and thinking of the kiss they'd shared still brought a tingle to her lips. She truly believed that she would love him one day, and that that day wasn't far off. But the last thing she wanted to do was jeopardise anything they could potentially have with her problems. And what of he didn't want a real relationship like she wanted? She knew she was only fourteen, almost fifteen, but she was a realist, she didn't put effort and time and most importantly, feelings, in things she didn't believe would work out, things that were important, and if Zuko felt the same way she did, she knew that they would be great together.

Katara looked down at the photo, her resolve finally crumbling as tears started to run down her face. She'd never felt so alone, so isolated and separated from everyone she loved, and it was worse because she felt like she couldn't do anything about it. It was bad enough that Sokka had treated her like glass when she'd told him about what had happened to their mother, when she'd broken down in front of him, in front of everyone, he'd been great, but he hadn't known how to act around her because it wasn't like her to act the way she had. Her shoulders shook as the simple tears turned into heaving, unstoppable sobs. She covered her mouth to stifle the sounds, because she didn't want Sokka and her father to hear her. She felt so powerless, so helpless.

At that moment, the door opened, and Katara looked up quickly, fearing that her brother or father had finally seen her like this. To her surprise, it was Zuko. She hastily shoved the family photo under the bed and stood up.  
"Hey!" She said, her voice far too chirpy and her smile far too forced. Zuko looked at her wide eyed, then his expression morphed into genuine concern making Katara feel more vulnerable than ever.  
"Katara, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice soft.  
"Wrong?" Katara feigned, acting stupidly oblivious to her puffy eyes, thick voice and red face. "Nothing's wrong." Zuko gave her his best patronising look.  
"Don't do that." He said. "You were crying when I came in, I could hear you from the hall. Tell me, what's wrong?"  
"Fine." She said. "It's just, I'm stressed out about school, I have so many assignments and I haven't started any of them." But it was a weak excuse, both her and Zuko knew that if she had a lot of assignments, she wouldn't cry about it, she'd do them.

Zuko dropped to the floor, beside her bed, reaching underneath it until he pulled out the picture she'd been looking at, the one of her family. He looked at it, then at her, waiting for her next move. Katara held his gaze steadily for a few seconds before she finally crumpled, the sobs returning, her body dropping back onto the ground. She covered her face with her hands, unable to look at Zuko, unable to bring herself to see any of the things she didn't want to see on his face: Pity, disgust, or worst of all, embarrassment.

Instead she felt his arms come around her as she was pressed into his body. Her hands clutched desperately at his shirt as she buried her face in his shoulders. He pulled back gently to look at her face.  
"Don't lie to me." He said. "What's wrong Katara?" She looked up at him then, at his comforting, soft amber eyes, and looking into them, she suddenly felt so safe, like she had many times before with him.  
"I feel so alone." She whispered honestly. Zuko looked at her, bewildered.  
"What are you talking about?" He demanded. "You're not alone at all, you have your father, you have Sokka Toph and Aang, and you have me." Katara gave him a sad smile.  
"No, I don't." She said quietly. "Toph and Aang depend on me, Sokka and my father are getting better now that Stein is in jail now, and you, I don't want to ruin any chance I have with you with my problems."

Zuko tugged her closer to him and Katara's heart lifted slightly at his next words.  
"What're you talking about?" He began, "I can see why you'd feel that way with Toph and Aang but why would you confiding in them change anything? It would probably make them feel better, they'd feel like you'd trust them enough to confide in them, and with Sokka and your father, they're your family, and they're pretty great, as opposed to a certain member in mine. They'd want to know you're feeling this way. Believe me Katara, you would be surprised how much it would help you to talk to them.

"And with me? Katara, don't ever feel like you can't talk to me. You were there for me when my mother died." His voice shook. "So let me be there for you. And no, you wouldn't be a burden, you wouldn't be a nuisance, you'd just need your boyfriend." Katara looked him at his last words, surprised and as Zuko's face twisted into a hopeful smile, she smiled lovingly at him, feeling, for a second, unbelievingly lucky. Zuko's arms tightened around her, drawing Katara closer to him, much to her satisfaction.

"You told me," Zuko started "That the worst thing you can do when you're feeling down, is shut out the people who care most about you." He tucked a stray hair behind her ear then said quietly. "I think you need to take your own advice."

Katara looked at Zuko and in that second, it felt as though her entire universe snapped back into focus, as if, in that one second, the world made perfect sense, and just like that, Zuko made her realise what she should have seen all along. She didn't need to be scared; she didn't need to feel like a burden.

She didn't need to be alone.

Brimming with happiness, love and gratitude, Katara wrapped her arms loosely around Zuko, tears in her eyes and a smile upon her lips as she leaned in to kiss him. One of Zuko's hands held her forearm as he returned her kiss. Like their first kiss, Katara felt a thrill go through her, felt that sense of perfection, but she sensed the difference in this kiss.

Their first one had been desperate and urgent, almost like a question frantically waiting for an answer. But this kiss, it was sweet, unhurried and sure. Finally they pulled apart, small, identical grins on their faces.

And for the first time in a while, Katara felt like she'd be okay in the long run.

**X X X **

Zuko went home in high spirits that day. He felt joyous that him and Katara were together, and he felt even better knowing that their relationship had depth. He felt better knowing that he felt confident in their relationship.

Uncle sensed his happiness as soon as Zuko walked through the door.

"Nephew, you're glowing." He observed. "What is the cause of such happiness."  
"Katara and I are together."  
"That's great. Did anyone else walk in on your kisses?"  
"Uncle, please!"  
"I'm just kidding, Zuko. You need to lighten up, which reminds me, I've mastered yet another of my tea recipes. I think you'll like this one."

Zuko rolled his eyes, it was another day in the life of Iroh and Zuko, and Zuko never felt more grateful. His parents may have left, but he still had Iroh, who was all the family he needed. Suddenly, the conversation he'd overheard between his parents popped into his head. Ever since he'd told his friends about it, it had been haunting him, lingering in his mind. He wanted to know what it meant.  
"Uncle" He started casually, "Do you know why my mother left exactly?" ****

Iroh looked up at him.  
"You haven't asked since you first came to live with me nephew." He answered, "What's wrong?" Zuko looked at the floor, deep in thought.  
"You've always told me that she left to get away from my father, which makes a lot of sense, but I remember a conversation I overheard when I was seven. Ozai wanted to do something; I don't know what it was, but my mother forbade it, and then my father said there was "another way", which I heard mum agree too."  
Zuko met his Uncle's gaze, which was blank, emotionless.  
"I think," Zuko said "that my mother leaving had something to with that conversation; that it was deeper than just getting away from her husband."

Iroh looked at him for a few more seconds before turning away and sighing as he looked at the floor.  
"I was hoping I'd never have to tell you this." He said resignedly. Zuko's back straightened.  
"Tell me what?" He implored.  
"You've just dealt with so much, and I didn't want to add to that."  
"Tell me what, Uncle?"  
"Promise me you'll control your temper while I'm telling you."  
"Uncle-!"  
"Promise!"  
"Okay, I promise! What is it?" Iroh ran a hand over his head, as if he were uncertain on how to began.

"You know your father had a former position at the company before he owned it. And the owner of the company was his father, our father, Azulon. You also know that at that time, I used to work at the same company. Azulon had written in his will that if he were to die, the company would go to Ozai, because I was too grief stricken over Lu Ten to run it. But one day, he called us both in and said that he was reconsidering, that he may change the will to give me the company. Your father was furious and asked why he would do such a thing and Azulon answered: "You have two young children, Ozai. You already have an obligation that isn't the company." As you could very well imagine, this made your father very angry and he made an extremely stupid decision on that day. He wanted to have you and Azula put into foster care."

Zuko looked blankly at his Uncle, he found that he couldn't make sense of this new information, couldn't process it.  
"What?"  
"He was convinced it would be easy, since you both lived in an abusive home. Your mother was furious, and despite the heavy hand your father had always laid on her, she was determined by any means to make sure that your father didn't carry out this plan. This other way Ozai was talking about on that day you overheard him was to have your mother kill Azulon, so that the will would remain intact and unchanged and everything would go to Ozai, and so your mother killed Azulon to save both of you." Iroh looked shamefully at the floor.

"I'm partly to blame for her choice. She told me everything and rather than stop her, rather than convince her otherwise or find an alternative decision, I gave her the keys to the company. I gave her the tools she needed to kill him.

"After the deed had been done, Ozai demanded that she leave forever, he said he couldn't risk being associated with her in any way. But to be honest, Zuko, once Ozai knew that Ursa was capable of murder, he feared for his own life.

"I understand that you may resent your mother now, for what she did. But Zuko, you have to understand the position she was in, and know that she did what she did out of love and protection for you and Azula."

Zuko couldn't answer, he couldn't think straight, couldn't believe what he was hearing, all he knew that despite the complete ridiculousness of this conversation, it perfectly explained everything Ozai has said in the conversation he'd overheard:  
_  
"They're in the way."_**  
**

Him and Azula.

_"I think, I'll go ahead with my earlier suggestion."_

Foster Care.

_"There is another way, if you're willing."_

Murder.

Rage filled Zuko, he'd always known his father was an awful man, a man of cruelty, insensitivity and dishonor but he hadn't realized he'd been a _murderer. _Because even though it had been his poor mother who had to do the deed, it was his father, his _sick _father who supplied all the intent and motive. His mother had just been the disposable assassin.

"Zuko?" His Uncle questioned.

Zuko looked at his Uncle, his eyes blazing, his jaw tensed and his fist clenched. When he spoke, his voice was terrifyingly controlled, but Iroh didn't miss the danger in his tone:

"I'm going over there, I'm going to tell Azula the truth and I'm bringing her here to live with us. Tonight, all Ozai is going to have is his stupid company, just like he always wanted."

**Rightio, so that was chapter 11 sorry it took fifty years to write it. Ha. But the good thing is that it's 3600 words, unless you sound it really boring than that's not a good thing. Chapter 12 soon, I think I'll have 13 chapters in total and the next chapter will be up soon because I'm on school holidays!**


	12. Chapter 12

Zuko was deep in thought the next morning as he urgently walked to Jet's house. He'd been furious yesterday when his Uncle had told him of his father's plans for them when they were younger, and when he'd discovered the real reason behind Ursa's departure. But after waking up this morning, he realised that he didn't want any conflict between him and his father. He just wanted to get Azula far, far away from him.

He finally arrived at Jet's door and he knocked at it rapidly. A rumpled and dishevelled Jet answered the door.  
"What do you want?" He asked grumpily, it's eight in the morning, on a Sunday!"

Zuko stepped back.

"I have a favour to ask of you."

**X X X**

Next thing Zuko knew, they were on the road.  
"Thanks a lot Jet. I owe you one." Zuko said. "I knew I should've gotten my drivers licence."  
"No problem Zuko," Jet replied from the driver's seat. "I might've been cranky about driving you all the way there if Ozai wasn't such a crazy bastard." Zuko snorted.

On their way, they came across Zuko's house and walking towards it were Toph, Aang, Sokka and Toph. Sokka spotted him through the car window and ran in front of the car.  
"Have you lost your mind?" Zuko scowled as jet hastily jerked to a stop.  
"We were about to pop in, but apparently there's no point. Where are the two of you going?"  
"Get out of the way Sokka," Jet commanded, "we have important business to take care of."  
"And what business is that?" Katara asked, appearing at Zuko's open window. She'd called last night after Iroh had revealed the truth of his mother leaving, and despite the particularly horrific mood he'd been in, he'd been happy to hear her words:  
"I just wanted to say… that I'm glad you came, and I'm glad you said what you did about being my boyfriend." Zuko knew had been quite bold with that the previous day and now was the perfect moment to confirm what they were.  
"So," He'd said cautiously, "You actually want to be my girlfriend?"

"I do." Katara had replied, a smile in her voice.  
"So we're together then?"  
"We are."

Now Katara smiled at him, her arms supported by the bottom frame of his completely open car window.

"Hey." He said, a smile in his voice, feeling uncharacteristically happy to see her.  
"Hey yourself." She said, almost shyly. Zuko rose in his seat, tilted his head up slightly and met her lips with his, his eyes drifting to a close as her arms came around his neck.  
"UGH," Sokka exclaimed, making them jump apart. "Do you mind? I'm right here?"  
"What is it?" Toph asked curiously, beside Aang.

"They're kissing?" Sokka said disgusted.  
"Jet and Zuko?"  
"No! Zuko and Katara. Katara I said I was okay with you guys together as long as you didn't kiss in front of me!"  
"Sokka, you're being stupid!" Katara protested, "And you and Suki always _make out_ in front of me! At least I keep it PG."  
"We do not!"  
"You do, it's disgusting!"  
"Well Suki and I are older so-"  
"When did you guys get together?" Aang inquired looking at Zuko and Katara, "Why didn't we know?"  
"Because it only happened yesterday." Zuko informed him.  
"See, I knew I was right. What'd I tell you, Zuko?" Jet bragged, punching Zuko's arm. Katara narrowed her eyes at him, misunderstanding his meaning.  
"What do you mean, Jet?" Jet saw her dangerous stare.  
"Nothing, I just said he should talk to you yesterday." He explained, hands in the air in surrender.

"Where are you guys going?" Toph demanded, interrupting the topic of Zuko and Katara.  
"The local store." Jet said smoothly.  
"Can we come? I ran out of Tim Tams." Aang asked hopefully.  
"No!" Zuko objected, far too urgent. He didn't want them to witness this, afraid they'd find his situation embarrassing, or worse, pitiful. Katara looked at him suspiciously.  
"Why not?" She asked. Her eyes slightly narrowed.  
"Uh, we- we only have three seats!" He conjured, grateful for the valid excuse. "There are four of you."

"Well I don't want to come." Sokka said, much to Zuko's dismay. "Project Runway's on in half an hour." Zuko gaped at him, trapped.  
"Fine! We're not going to the local store, we're going to my father's place!"  
"What?" Toph exclaimed. "Why would you do that? The guy's a maniac."  
"We know." Zuko said. "That's why I have to get Azula _out."_ Everyone stared at him.

"Well there goes Project Runway." Sokka said, opening the car door to the back. "Hey Jet do you mind if I move all this junk? There's barely any room for us."  
"What?" Jet said.  
"You're not coming." Zuko growled.  
"Of course we are." Aang protested.  
"Yeah, you don't think we'll let the two of you face that psychopath by yourselves do you?" Toph said. Zuko started to protest but Katara interrupted him.  
"Hey Toph, what did you tell us about how we treated Zuko the first time we met him?" She asked, a knowing smile on her face.  
"I said that you took no for an answer."  
"Exactly." Katara agreed, looking at Zuko now. "We're not taking no for an answer."

Zuko stared at her, at them, unable to comprehend why they all always insisted dealing with his crap with him, and why none of them expected anything in return. And now there was Jet, sacrificing his time and fuel to drive him all the way to his father's place in a different city that took several hours to get to.

"Okay fine!" He said grumpily. Katara leaned in from the window and kissed his cheek, dramatically lessening Zuko's moodiness.  
"Thank you." Toph said dramatically, as she got into the car after Sokka.  
"Do not scratch this car." Jet menacingly . "Inside or out." At that moment, a phone rang, Sokka's. Sokka hastily dug for it in his pocket and answered."  
"Hello? No, we talked about this. No Suki, I was serious. Look, I have to go now, I'm doing something important, but nothing's changed, I meant and stick by everything I said. It's over with. Bye." And he hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Katara asked, as she climbed in next to Toph, Aang behind her. Sokka looked away from her sheepishly.  
"I, uh, well," he stumbled then he looked at her squarely in the eye. "I broke up with Suki."

The next few seconds consisted of a silence so loud it made Zuko deaf.

"_What?" _Katara screeched, as everyone else, including Jet, gaped at Sokka, then she started laughing.

"What, why are you laughing?" Sokka demanded.  
"Because you were with her since you were twelve! Because you used to tell me things like 'we're meant for each other'. Because I told you several times that I didn't like her, and you never listened to me. What changed, Sokka." Jet snorted and Toph sniggered.  
"'We're meant for each other'" They both muttered mockingly under their breath. Sokka scowled at them, then shrugged at Katara.  
"She always expected me to drop my plans for her." He said.  
"She always did that." Aang pitched in. "It never bothered you before. Why did you really break up with her.

Sokka looked away from all of them.  
"She thought you were all weird." He said it so quietly, Zuko almost didn't catch it. Jet laughed.  
_"_Well then_."_ Toph said, sounding surprisingly calm. "Why is that?"  
"Yeah, why does she suddenly feel that way?" Aang said, hurt.  
"I knew I didn't like her for _some_ reason." Katara muttered darkly.

"She always felt that way," Sokka admitted, much to everyone's surprise. "She said that it was weird that I hung out with my sister and two kids three years younger than me, that it didn't look good, and for a long time, I didn't really care that she thought that because I thought I could separate those two parts of my life, you guys and her.

"But then Zuko came." Zuko's neck cracked as he whirled sharply to face Sokka, surprised. "Yeah, we made friends with you, but even when Suki met you, she deemed you as another one of my 'weird' friends. And there were times where she sat with all of us, when she tried, even over the couple of months, like when you came back from school after your suspension and I really thought that she liked you, that she liked all of you. But then later that day, she told me that you were all nice but still 'really weird, especially together', and I tried to let it go, tried to look past it." He looked solely at Zuko now.

"But then you went through all that really heavy stuff Zuko, with your mum, and your father showing up and putting you through all that crap and your mother's funeral, and it made me realise two things. Firstly, that right now, you need friends you can rely on, and I'm not a good friend if I condone a girlfriend who talks about you and our friends the way she does, especially if I know she isn't going to change.

"It also made me realise that when any of you have problems, they're my problems, especially you Katara, you're my sister. So I want to be there for you guys, always, 100% per cent. I can't do that if someone's holding me back. I realised that if I get a girlfriend and she loves me, she has to love you too."

They all stared at him. Katara was beaming, tears brimming in her eyes, Toph had a smile on her face, which wasn't smug or mocking but almost… Loving. Aang had a dopey, grateful grin on his face, Jet, although indifferent and impartial to the topic, looked respectfully at Sokka through the rear-view mirror, and Zuko… Zuko had no idea what to say.

He'd been so used to his presence ruining people's lives, he'd never ever have considered someone making a decision for his benefit. He wasn't the sole reason of Sokka's break up with Suki, but he'd triggered it. Sokka had broken up with Suki because he's wanted to be there for Zuko and the rest of his friends, unconditionally. He gazed at the other boy, eyes wide, mouth open, and he felt too affected for words.  
"Thanks," He said, it was all he could manage, but his voice was hoarse, and he knew by the smile Sokka returned to him, that he'd sensed the emotion he felt.

"Well," Jet said suddenly. "Let's get this show on the road."_  
_

**X X X**

"I don't do well in moving vehicles."  
"It's really cramped in here. Toph! Move over."  
"Were those cows, I think we just passed some cows guys."  
"That's great Aang."  
"Sokka, your elbow's digging in my rib!"  
"Will you guys shut up back there!"  
"I knew this was a bad idea."  
"Katara, could you lean back? I'm trying to look at the cows."  
"Toph! Put your seatbelt on!"  
"I don't want to! It makes me feel worse."  
"Katara's right Toph, everyone has to wear their seatbelt otherwise I get arrested, and I literally cannot afford to get arrested!"

"You really need a seven-seater!"  
"Zuko, control your dream-team back there, will ya?  
"Guys, we'll be there in an hour, could you just please hold on until then?"  
"Fine…"  
"Whatever you say…"  
"We can handle an hour, right guys?"  
"I want a cow."

**X X X  
**

"Well it's about time!" Toph complained, as she tumbled out of the vehicle after Sokka. "My legs hurt."  
"_Your_ legs hurt? Sokka exclaimed. "You were taking all the space! And you're the smallest out of all of us!"  
"If any of your guys ever need a ride, don't ask me." Jet growled.  
"How much do you think a cow would cost?" Aang asked, looking around at the rest of his friends. Katara sighed.  
"You can't get a cow Aang."  
"Instant milk supply!" Aang argued.  
"It's not as simple as that." Katara explained.

Zuko was oblivious to all of this. He stood looking at his father's house. It wasn't his home any longer. Jet came up beside him.  
"It sucks doesn't it? That it looks exactly the same." He said, looking concernedly at his friend. Zuko nodded.  
"Yeah," he agreed "But it feels completely different." Zuko remembered everything in this house. He remembered fighting, he remembered playing, he remembered love and he remembered hate, he remembered good times and bad, pain and hope, he remembered everything.

And it felt as though none of it had happened.

"Let's get this over with." He said quietly, and noticed that his friends had stopped bickering, that they were all beside him now, and Katara reached for his hand, gave him something to be happy about.

He walked towards the huge door, the others around him, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A moment passed, two, then the door opened, and Ozai was revealed. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Zuko, he took in Katara, Sokka, Toph and Aang, but when his eyes found Jet, who wore a cocky smirk, he scowled in contempt.  
"What do you want?" He snarled, talking to his son now.  
"Can we come in?" Zuko requested evenly. Ozai barked in laughter.  
"You weren't nearly this polite when we last met Zuko. Did you realise how foolish you'd behaved?"

This time Zuko didn't rise to the bait, he only had one thing on his mind: Get Azula, get out.  
"Can we come in?" He tried again, his voice harder. Ozai sneered, not a good sign.  
"Certainly not." Before Zuko could protest, Azula came down the stairs. Her eyes met Zuko's and she stopped in shock, then they met Jet's and narrowed in familiarity before she recognised him.  
"Jet" She breathed, unable to believe that he was here, that he was friends with Zuko again. Jet grinned back at her, looking as if we were about to speak, but Azula beat him to it.  
"Come in, come in, all of you." She said, marching to the door, past Ozai in order to drag Zuko inside. His friends followed, looking around at the vast house. Zuko's eyes fell to the kitchen, where he'd heard his parents discussing the very topic that would rip their family apart and his resolve hardened, stronger than ever.

He turned around, looking at Ozai squarely in the eye.  
"We're taking Azula back with us." He said, his voice low but firm. Ozai looked at him, and it was as if fire ignited in his eyes, sparking, growing until it, as it always did, scorched them all. Then he laughed, but the sound was cold and lacked any humour.

"You've clearly lost your last shred of intelligence." He said, his voice thin and sharp. Azula stepped in front of Zuko, her eyes looking up angrily at him.  
"What're you doing?" She snapped furiously, her voice quiet enough so that Ozai didn't catch her words but only her tone. "I told you I didn't need help, I can handle him."  
"That was before I found out _everything._" Zuko's voice was meaningful, but his tone was still calm. He still didn't want conflict. He looked at his father again. "I'm taking Azula and you know why. Make it easy for yourself and let us go without a fight."  
"Or you'll what?" Challenged Ozai, his eyes flashing. "Do you want to look like a racoon Zuko? Because you're halfway there.

At this, Jet stepped forward.  
"You're out of line." He said. Ozai looked at him, a smirk forming on his face.  
"I'm not, but you always were, you insolent insufferable boy." He sneered. "How are your parents by the way? Still struggling with full time, minimum wage jobs?" Jet growled and advanced on Ozai but Zuko grabbed his arm whilst Sokka seized the other.  
"Don't fight him!" Zuko ordered. "It's what he wants, he's trying to direct the attention away from why we're here, away from what he did nine years ago."  
Zuko saw Ozai's eyes flash with panic.

"Shut your mouth!" He yelled savagely at his son. Zuko wasn't at all intimidated.  
"It's funny isn't it?" He said quietly, his tone was calm, controlled and he didn't feel nearly as angry as he should've been. But it wasn't his tone his father had to worry about, it was words. "It's funny how you want Azula now that she's a prodigy, now that she's useful enough for your stupid company to keep around."  
"Father, what is he talking about?" Azula demanded, looking from Ozai to Zuko. "What does he mean?"  
"Don't listen to him!" Ozai barked. "Your brother has always been jealous of you, and now he's here to ruin you. He's your enemy Azula."

Zuko looked sharply at his father.  
"I can tell her now or I can tell her later, either way, Azula's coming back with us." He said. **  
**"Tell me what?" Azula snapped angrily. "What did Father do Zuko, what are you talking about?"  
"Have you ever wondered why mother left, Azula?" Zuko asked her. Azula's eyes widened, and Ozai's narrowed.  
"What are you doing, Zuko." She implored, looking fearfully towards Ozai. Mentioning their mother was what gave Zuko his scar.

But Zuko was devoid of fear now. He was thinking clearly and he knew that Azula needed to know, that even though Zuko wouldn't leave without her, she needed to know why she was leaving. Ozai took a few threatening steps forward, causing Jet, Sokka, Aang, Toph and Katara to do the same in Zuko's defence.  
"Don't make me hurt you again, Zuko." Ozai threatened. Zuko looked back at him, surprisingly unafraid, perhaps because unlike the last time, he was fully supported by people who he knew had his back. He told Azula the truth:

"When I was seven and you were five, Dad wanted to give us up to foster care so he would be entitled to the company. Mum was furious and killed the head of the company, who was dad's father, our grandfather, so Dad would get the company and we wouldn't be given up. But then he told our mother to leave, and she left, because he probably would've ratted her out, and even if she proved that he made her kill, she'd still go to jail for murder, which would leave us parentless. Ozai never loved us and he doesn't love you, he loves what you can do for him and his company. That's why you have to come and live with Uncle and I."

Before Azula could answer, before her reaction could be witnessed, Ozai grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and lunged at Zuko. Zuko could see what was coming, he saw Ozai coming at him, knife in hand and eyes furious. _But he couldn't move a finger._

But Katara could.

"NO!" She ran in front of Zuko and the knife stabbed her side. She fell to the floor, unintentionally knocking a pan from the kitchen as Ozai swore in frustration.  
"KATARA!" Zuko yelled, dropping his knees and fumbling to see her wound. Sokka and Jet charged at Ozai and barrelled into him, making the knife fly out of his hand as they struggled to pin him to the floor. Toph and Aang wasted no time grabbing Azula as they hurried to rush her out the door.  
"Wait! Get off me! We have to help!"  
"Listen here Princess, you're the whole reason we came down here, don't make everything worse." Toph snapped as she dragged her out the door with Aang's help.  
"But that girl got stabbed-"  
"We'll take care of it, just get in the car!" Aang yelled, uncharacteristically angry. But Toph heard his voice shake, heard the fear and distress.

Once Azula was in the car, Toph and Aang scurried back into the house. Aang could see that Jet and Sokka were losing their hold on Ozai and he thought in panic how the hell they were supposed to get away from him.  
"Zuko!" Sokka yelled, "Get Katara out!" Zuko who was crying as he struggled to stop Katara's bleeding, who has barely conscious. He consciously made an effort to pick her up but when she whimpered, he found himself unable to do it without worrying he was going to make her injury worse. He sat there, numb.

"GET HER OUT!" Sokka yelled again, and the desperation in his voice brought Zuko back, he wrapped his arms around Katara, braced to carry her but he was too late. Ozai broke free of Jet and Sokka's hold. But to everyone' surprise he didn't lunge at Zuko or run the car where Azula was. He grabbed the knife from the floor and leapt at Toph. In a moment she was trapped against him with a knife at her throat.

_'Oh crap'_ Zuko thought _'oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap'_. He shouldn't have brought them. Katara was in arms almost unconscious with a stab wound that should've been his and Toph was dancing with death.  
"You want to ease up a little on the knife there buddy?" Toph said calmly to Ozai.  
"Here's what's going to happen." He said, "You're going to get Azula, leave her at the end of the room and wait out the door, and only then will I release your little sightless friend."

Zuko, Jet and Aang looked numbly at Ozai, completely unsure of what to do. In his arms, Katara made a choking sound and Zuko looked down at her in panic. Was she dying? She pulled at his shirt and she realised she was trying to tell him something. He bent his head imperceptibly, so that Ozai wouldn't notice. Her next words were so low and quiet that Zuko almost thought he'd missed them:

_"Pass the pan."_

What? What did that mean? Zuko looked at her in confusion. Then it occurred to him, she'd lost so much blood that she was going delusional, she probably she thought she was cooking an a kitchen with someone. He clutched her closer to him. _'Hold on Katara' _he thought.

Then he felt something nudge his back and he realised that behind his back, Katara was holding something. He reached a hand behind him, not daring to look away from Ozai for a second, then he realised that Katara held a pan, the pan she'd knocked over when she'd been stabbed.

_"Pass the pan." _

He understood.

"So what's it going to be?" Ozai drawled, then he laughed, "It's funny isn't it? How Zuko could only face me with five people along, and even then, he was no match for me." While Ozai laughed, eyes closed for just a moment, Zuko mouthed to Sokka and Jet who were the only ones who were at the far end of the room, away from everyone else.

_Distract him._

Their eyes narrowed, but quickly, they understood his meaning and looked at Ozai.  
"Careful there, crazy." Jet sneered. "Kill her and you'll be in jail before you can say 'murderer'. If you let her live, we'll keep our mouths shut."  
"A jail cell won't give you your friend back." Ozai said.  
"A jail cell won't give you your company back." Sokka seethed, and that was all it took. Ozai's Achilles heel was his company and just like Zuko had hoped, he automatically adjusted his stance to slightly face Sokka and Jet as he argued, so that Aang, Katara and Zuko weren't easily in view.

Slowly, Zuko took the pan from behind his back, from Katara's grip and looked at Aang, motioning for him to come closer.  
"If you lose me my company, I will kill you." Ozai threatened.  
"Then you'll just go back to jail again, where you should remain for the rest of your life anyway." Jet snapped. Aang stealthily moved towards Zuko and Zuko, feeling more nervous and fearful than he ever had before, steadily handed Aang the pan. The younger boy, shifted back to place without a sound, the pan behind his back.

"The only place I belong is my company, make no mistake of that."  
"Your Company isn't going to want a murderer and criminal running it." Sokka challenged.

Now they had a problem. Ozai and Toph were too far from Aang and he might have been able to carry out the plan if Ozai didn't know of his presence. Any move he made would draw attention him immediately. He looked around at the room, desperately looking for a way to pull it off, and spotted Azula, sneaking up right behind Ozai. Her eyes met Aang's and she saw the pan behind his back. She leaned as close as she could to Aang behind her father, hand moving stealthily along the wall, reaching for the pan.  
"Hahahaha. They don't care what I am you foolish boy, I made that company what it is. They need me."

Aang strained, Azula strained, Zuko's heart hammered as he cradled an unconscious Katara to his chest, still trying fervently to stop her bleeding. He looked at Toph, who although was doing a great job of keeping her composure, was beginning to shake. Finally, Azula had the pan in her hands and lifted it over her head.  
"Maybe," Jet said, "But they're going to have to deal without you." Ozai narrowed his eyes at Jet, who's face twisted into a satisfied, almost sadistic smile as he uttered his next words:  
"Good night, old man."

Azula brought down the pan and smashed it against her father's head. The man fell immediately to the ground leaving Toph to run out of the way. With Ozai now heavily unconscious everyone sprung into action. Jet, Aang and Sokka grabbed Ozai and dragged him out onto the balcony and locked the door on him in case he regained consciousness.  
"Call Iroh." Aang ordered at Zuko who fumbled for his phone. He told his Uncle of their situation and location before hanging up and tossing the phone to Aang.  
"Call 000." He said. Sokka looked at Zuko.

'Take Katara to the hospital now. Jet will drive you and take Azula with you." He instructed firmly. "Toph, Aang and I will wait here until the police and Iroh come." Zuko nodded and lifted Katara into his arms as he stood up. Him and Jet ran outside to the car, Azula behind them. Once they were in the car, Jet drove furiously to the nearest hospital. Azula was grasping at her hair in shock and distress and Zuko, who was in the back, could do nothing but clutch Katara to him and pray that she would be okay.

**That was one long chapter. 4,650 words. Please review your opinion!**


End file.
